Sharing the Nile: The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Campus where you would like to present
SURC 301
Start Date
21-5-2015
End Date
21-5-2015
Keywords
Nile River, Water Politics, Ethiopia
Abstract
With construction of Africa's largest hydroelectric power station, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), beginning in 2011 and slated for completion in 2017, Ethiopia has catapulted itself to a position of power in the Blue Nile Basin. Located forty-five kilometers from Sudan's border, the dam is to be the largest hydroelectric power station throughout all of Africa, eclipsing Egypt's Aswan Dam with more than twice the electricity output which will be delivered throughout Ethiopia and sold to neighboring countries. However, the construction of the GERD represents a significant departure from past water sharing agreements between states in the Blue Nile Basin, which have traditionally heavily favored Egypt. Remnants of British and Italian colonialism and regional power dynamics have long stymied Ethiopia's use of the Nile. However, within the last decade, intergovernmental organizations and shifting power dynamics of the region have paved the way for Ethiopia's rise to being a dominant power along the Nile, a reshaping of how resources can be managed, and enabled development of the GERD.
Recommended Citation
Baldwin, Matthew, "Sharing the Nile: The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam" (2015). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 100.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2015/oralpresentations/100
Department/Program
Political Science
Additional Mentoring Department
Douglas Honors College
Sharing the Nile: The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
SURC 301
With construction of Africa's largest hydroelectric power station, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), beginning in 2011 and slated for completion in 2017, Ethiopia has catapulted itself to a position of power in the Blue Nile Basin. Located forty-five kilometers from Sudan's border, the dam is to be the largest hydroelectric power station throughout all of Africa, eclipsing Egypt's Aswan Dam with more than twice the electricity output which will be delivered throughout Ethiopia and sold to neighboring countries. However, the construction of the GERD represents a significant departure from past water sharing agreements between states in the Blue Nile Basin, which have traditionally heavily favored Egypt. Remnants of British and Italian colonialism and regional power dynamics have long stymied Ethiopia's use of the Nile. However, within the last decade, intergovernmental organizations and shifting power dynamics of the region have paved the way for Ethiopia's rise to being a dominant power along the Nile, a reshaping of how resources can be managed, and enabled development of the GERD.
Faculty Mentor(s)
Anne Cubilié