GERD vital to extricate people from Poverty: Ethiopia’s Ambassador to France

Addis Ababa, August 17, 2022 (FBC) – The Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is a project of development, cooperation and clean energy, Ethiopia’s Ambassador to France said.

In an exclusive virtual interview with the Ethiopian News Agency, Ambassador Henok Tefera noted that the dam is a great source of energy which will contribute towards alleviating climate change.

According to him, GERD will generate electricity that is essential for the country’s development since energy is essential for all sectors of the economy.

The country could also sell electricity to neighboring countries and generate hard currency  thereby strengthening its cooperation with neighboring countries.

Above all, the project is vital to extricate people from poverty, provide electricity to millions of Ethiopians who do not have access to electricity.

The Ethiopian Diaspora have played a vital role in the growth and stability of the country through direct and indirect financial contribution to support mega-projects across the country, Ambassador Henok elaborated.

“The diaspora in France as elsewhere is strongly mobilized more than ever for the support of this dam,” he pointed out. The Abbay water has now started to flow over the top of the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam for the third time.

Accordingly, the height of the middle part of this mega-dam has reached 600 meters above sea level and the left and right sides were 611 meters. With its two turbines going operational, GERD generates 375 MW of electricity.