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PoliticsEthiopia

Why Ethiopia's mega dam is causing tensions with Egypt

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Eunice Wanjiru
September 8, 2025

Africa’s largest hydropower project is about to go online. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam(GERD) could lift millions out of poverty—but it’s also sparking regional tensions over the Nile waters. How did Ethiopia build it, and why is Egypt opposed to it?

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile River is Africa's largest hydropower project. Ethiopia hopes it will lift millions out of poverty and turn the country into a net energy exporter.

But Egypt, which relies almost entirely on the Nile for water, fears the mega dam could pose an existential threat.

DW's Eunice Wanjiru explains the hydropower project and what it means for East African countries.