Istanbul: Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed rejected claims that the US funded the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. He said the project received “not a single penny” from any foreign government. The dam was financed entirely through domestic resources and public contributions.
Abiy told the House of Peoples’ Representatives that the dam is Africa’s largest hydropower project, built on the Blue Nile near the Sudan border. Downstream countries Egypt and Sudan have raised concerns about its impact on water flows.
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The prime minister added that Ethiopia is completing another hydropower project on the Omo River. It will have a capacity of 2,200 megawatts and an expected annual production of 6,460 gigawatt-hours. He emphasized that Ethiopia relies on its own resources for energy development.
US President Donald Trump had claimed during a White House press conference that the US financed the dam. He also suggested renewed negotiations with Egypt over Nile water sharing. Ethiopian officials have repeatedly denied these claims.
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Trump sent a letter to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi proposing mediation on the dam dispute. Ethiopia stressed that the Nile projects are national initiatives funded internally, reflecting its sovereignty and developmental priorities.