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AU Chair Praises Ethiopia's GERD, Urges Diplomatic Solution, Citing PM Abiy Ahmed's Assurances of No Harm to Neighbors

Sep 09, 2025

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mohammed Yusuf Ali, highlighted the significance of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), emphasizing its decades-long development and the Ethiopian people's dedication to its completion. He lauded the project's potential to generate 5,000 megawatts of clean energy, benefiting Ethiopia and neighboring countries. He congratulated Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the Ethiopian people for their achievement.

While celebrating the dam's inauguration as a testament to Africa's commitment to renewable energy and the successful conclusion of the second African Climate Summit, Chair Yusuf Ali acknowledged and reiterated Egypt and Sudan's concerns regarding the Nile's unimpeded flow. He emphasized Prime Minister Abiy's assurance that the dam is not intended to harm neighboring countries.

The Chair stressed the importance of resolving the GERD issue through diplomatic means, urging the three countries—Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan—to resume negotiations based on the 2015 Khartoum Agreement. He offered the African Union Commission's assistance in finding a mutually agreeable solution, citing successful examples of trilateral cooperation on the continent, such as the Senegal River Basin Development Organization involving Senegal, Mali, and Mauritania, as models for effective collaboration.