During the official inauguration of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley hailed the project as more than an engineering marvel—she called it a testament to African resilience and self-reliance.

Mottley, addressing the crowd including Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, described the dam as "the Adwa engineering feat," drawing a parallel to the historic 1896 battle where Ethiopia defeated Italian colonial forces. She noted that when international funding for the project was denied, the Ethiopian people "stood tall" and funded the five-billion-dollar project themselves through donations, no matter how small or large.

Mottley stated. "It is the journey, above all else, not simply the achievement of what has been done here for the provision of water and energy."

The Prime Minister asserted that the GERD project sends a powerful message to Africa and the diaspora: that people of African descent can be "firm craftsmen of our fate." She invoked the legacy of Pan-African movements and the teachings of Marcus Garvey, who called for mental emancipation.

Mottley said the GERD’s completion serves as an awakening of Africa, demonstrating that when we work together, anything is possible.

She concluded her speech by expressing confidence that Africa and its diaspora can "rise" and become the "humanizing element that the world needs now more than ever."