Ethiopia says Grand Renaissance Dam complete, invites Egypt, Sudan to opening

July 3, 2025 (ADDIS ABABA) – Ethiopia announced on Thursday it has completed construction of its massive Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile and invited downstream rivals Egypt and Sudan to an inauguration ceremony in a bid to ease long-running tensions over the project.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed told parliament that an official opening ceremony would be organised after the current rainy season and called for regional cooperation.

“Any harm to Egypt or Sudan is harm to Ethiopia itself,” Abiy said during the parliamentary session, asserting that the project was not meant to harm any country. “Not a single drop of water will be reduced from the (Aswan) High Dam.”

The multi-billion dollar dam, which Ethiopia began building in 2011, has been a source of diplomatic friction with Cairo and Khartoum, which fear it will threaten their water supplies. Despite the premier’s remarks, Abiy’s government has recently tightened security at the site, with reports indicating special forces units and new defence platforms have been deployed.

Abiy said his country remained open to negotiations to address the concerns of Egypt and Sudan.

The dispute over the dam’s filling and operation is one of the region’s most complex diplomatic issues. A potential breakthrough in regional water-sharing occurred last year when South Sudan’s accession to the Cooperative Framework Agreement of the Nile Basin (CFA), also known as the Entebbe Agreement, enabled the pact to come into force, paving the way for the establishment of a Nile Basin Commission.