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A senior Ethiopian official has firmly rejected recent remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump, who claimed that the United States largely financed the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). The statement, which has stirred controversy in Ethiopia and beyond, has been described by Ethiopian authorities as misleading and potentially harmful to diplomatic relations.
Fikrte Tamir, Deputy Director of the GERD Coordination Office, addressed Trump’s assertion during a press briefing in Addis Ababa, labeling it as entirely false. She emphasized that the massive hydroelectric project, Africa’s largest, was developed without any form of foreign financial assistance. “The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam was built solely through contributions from the Ethiopian government and its people. No external aid was involved,” she stated. The GERD Coordination Office, although operating independently, was created by the government specifically to galvanize public support and financial mobilization for the project.
Trump’s comments were made during a recent public address and echoed in posts on his Truth Social platform, where he claimed the dam was “stupidly financed by the United States” and accused it of significantly reducing water availability downstream in Egypt and Sudan. These remarks have not been substantiated by any official documentation from the U.S. government. The BBC has reportedly reached out to American authorities for clarification, though no additional details have been made available.
The GERD, which sits on the Blue Nile in Ethiopia’s northern highlands, has been a symbol of national pride and a major infrastructure milestone for the country. With a total length of over a mile and a height of 145 meters, the dam was designed to generate more than 6,000 megawatts of electricity. Since 2011, its funding has relied entirely on local means, including salary contributions, bond sales, and donations from the Ethiopian diaspora. As of July, the GERD Coordination Office reported collecting over 1.7 billion birr (approximately $12.3 million) from public contributions alone in the past year.
Despite Trump’s continued suggestions of U.S. involvement, Ethiopian officials maintain that Washington has had no financial role in the dam’s construction. Meanwhile, tensions persist between Ethiopia and downstream countries Egypt and Sudan, both of which have expressed concerns that the GERD could disrupt their water supply. These disputes have spurred international mediation efforts, although a final agreement has yet to be reached. Nonetheless, Ethiopia continues to view the GERD as a transformative solution to its chronic electricity shortages, with over 60% of its population still lacking access to power.
Credit: BBC Africa