Source: Ouest France, Sept 2025

On Tuesday, September 9, Ethiopia officially inaugurated its Grand Renaissance Dam (Gerd) on the Nile, the largest hydroelectric structure in Africa. Between fears of water stress and challenges to regional balances, the dam is the source of major tensions with downstream countries.

Launched in 2011 at a cost of $4 billion, the Gerd is an immense structure almost two kilometers wide and 170 meters high, with a total capacity of 74 billion cubic meters of water, according to the latest figures released by the Italian company Webuild, the dam’s main contractor. These staggering figures make it the largest hydroelectric structure in Africa.

In Ethiopia, Africa’s largest dam reshapes the region’s equilibrium