The Grand Renaissance Dam in which Ethiopia is building along the Nile could be a motivation for African countries in terms of mobilizing domestic resources, an expert from African Climate Policy Center (ACPC)
Senior Expert on Energy and Climate Change at ACPC, Linus Mofor said the GERD is a manifestation of well-planned domestic resources mobilization efforts in financing a country’s resources.
“Ethiopia has done a good job with its own resources. When it’s completed and open for use, then we will have a big catalyst and big motivation for other African countries who have the opportunity and who have resources to develop” he said.
Despite Africa’s huge potential for renewable energy, the expert noted the energy deficit in the continent that even hinders its development.
Limitation of investors’ involvement, incapability to properly mobilize domestic resources, and lack of integrated markets, are among other challenges in the development of renewable resources, he noted.
In this regard, he stressed the need for countries to learn from each other to develop their energy resources, thereby accelerating development.
The development of this huge project sets the direction for African countries to replicate the determination and courage that Ethiopia has exhibited to develop its resources, Mofor said.
“The success of GERD is not only important for Ethiopia, but is also important for all African countries, because this is an opportunity to open eyes for any country noting that when there is a will there is a way”.
Such flagship projects will create an opportunity to ensure access to energy and would also be instrumental in driving the trade relations in the region.
“When we have a big hydro power resource likes GERD integrated into the regional power system, we have advantage to stabilize the power system. We also have advantage to increase opportunity for favorable renewable energy,” he noted.
In addition to producing power for Ethiopia, he said the dam “will open opportunity for trade as well as interconnecting the region with energy. When Ethiopia will produce more than what it needs, it can sell the energy to neighboring countries.”
As the owners of GERD and source of finance, the people and government of Ethiopia, have continued to support the construction of the dam which has now reached an important phase.
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, in which its construction was launched in 2011, is in the Benishangul-Gumuz regional state, about 15km east of the border with Sudan.
Up on completion, the dam with installed generating capacity of 6,450 MW, will be the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa as well as the 7th largest in the world.
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