By Kwame Ndlovu, African Correspondent
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has firmly dismissed assertions made by U.S. President Donald Trump that America financed the construction of Ethiopia’s massive hydroelectric project, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
The $4-billion dam, which spans a tributary of the River Nile, is set to produce 5,150 megawatts of electricity—making it the largest power-generating dam on the African continent.
Egypt, heavily reliant on the Nile for nearly all of its water supply, has long viewed the GERD as a direct threat to its survival. Trump echoed these concerns during the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, claiming the dam was “financed by the United States” and obstructs the Nile’s flow.
Speaking to Ethiopian lawmakers on Tuesday, Abiy Ahmed rejected the claim outright:
“We did not receive a single birr in loans or financial aid from any foreign sources for the construction of the mega-dam. We achieved this through the strong commitment of Ethiopians living in the country and in the diaspora.”
Construction of the GERD, which began in 2011, has been funded entirely through domestic means—taxes, bonds, and contributions from Ethiopian citizens.
Pietro Salini, CEO of Webuild, the Italian firm overseeing the project, reinforced this point at the dam’s inauguration in September:
“Not one international lender was willing to put money in this project. It was financed entirely by Ethiopia.”
Salini also emphasized that the dam’s purpose is strictly energy generation, not irrigation, meaning it does not consume water in a way that would deprive Egypt.
Meanwhile, Trump has pledged to revive stalled negotiations between Cairo and Addis Ababa. Egypt has signaled readiness to resume mediation, though Ethiopia has yet to formally respond.
