The speeches from President Salva Kiir of South Sudan and the President of Somalia underscored the dam’s role as a unifying force.
President Kiir’s said, “This is not only a project, but also a symbol of unity, sacrifice and determination,” resonated deeply, framing the GERD as a testament to what a nation can achieve when its people are united by a single vision.
This sentiment was echoed by Somalia’s President, who emphasized that the gathering was not only about the success of a single project, but about the “shared responsibilities we all carry for our people.”
This perspective transcends national borders, presenting the GERD as a collective triumph for the Horn of Africa and a blueprint for regional cooperation and shared progress.
The project’s success is seen as a source of pride not just for Ethiopians, but for the entire region, promising progress and hope for future generations.
President William Samoel Ruto of Kenya delivered a particularly powerful message, celebrating the GERD as a “Pan-African statement.” He lauded the project as a magnificent feat of engineering ambition that showcases African capacity to build monumental infrastructure without foreign debt or external support.
President Ruto’s praise for Ethiopia’s ability to mobilize local resources, money, and effort to finance the dam underscores a critical point: the GERD is a powerful example of financial sovereignty.
This self-reliant approach, as he noted, gives the continent “confidence to take a charge for our road of development in the future.”
This aspect of the project provides a compelling blueprint for other African nations seeking to pursue large-scale development projects without the burden of external debt.
Beyond the symbolic and financial achievements, the speeches also focused on the dam’s practical and long-term benefits for the region. President Ruto explicitly linked the GERD to Kenya’s own clean energy goals, stating that the project “strengthens” their commitment to a 100 percent clean energy mix by 2030 by integrating zero-emission power into the grid and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
This highlights the potential of the GERD to bridge the continent’s energy divide and serve as a foundation for a more sustainable future.
The project’s potential to provide power to neighboring countries like South Sudan, as mentioned by President Kiir, further solidifies its role as a catalyst for regional economic integration and development.
The collective celebration of these leaders makes it clear that the GERD is not merely an Ethiopian project; it is a shared resource that will contribute to the prosperity and progress of the entire Nile basin and beyond.
