An Ethiopian official has strongly denied former US President Donald Trump’s claim that the United States helped finance the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a $4 billion hydroelectric project built on the Blue Nile. The dam, now Africa’s largest, has been a source of national pride for Ethiopians and a flashpoint of regional tension with Egypt and Sudan.
Speaking on Tuesday, Fikrte Tamir, the deputy director of the GERD Coordination Office, described Trump’s remarks as “false and destructive,” insisting that “the dam was built without any foreign aid.” The dam’s funding, she reiterated, came solely from the Ethiopian government and its people, through a grassroots mobilization that included bond sales, salary contributions, and diaspora donations.
The GERD, located in Ethiopia’s northern highlands where roughly 85% of the Nile’s waters originate, has been under construction for over 14 years and was fully completed earlier this month. While it began generating electricity in 2022, its final commissioning marks a major milestone for Ethiopia, where nearly 60% of the population still lacks access to electricity.
President Trump had previously suggested on his social media platform, Truth Social, that the US had “stupidly financed” the dam, a claim he has repeated several times. He also expressed concern that the GERD “substantially reduces the water flowing into The Nile River,” echoing long-standing fears from Egypt and Sudan that the dam could disrupt their water supply.
Egypt, a key US ally, has been particularly vocal in its opposition to the dam, viewing it as a threat to its lifeline—the Nile River. Sudan, too, has expressed concern over the dam’s potential impact on its water resources and dam safety. Despite several rounds of tripartite negotiations, the three countries have failed to reach a lasting agreement on how the dam should be filled and managed.
Although the GERD Coordination Office is technically an independent institution, it was established by the Ethiopian government to spearhead resource mobilization for the dam. Some Ethiopians have questioned whether the office would have full knowledge of any backdoor funding arrangements. Nonetheless, Ethiopia’s federal government has remained silent on Trump’s latest comments, opting for a cautious diplomatic stance.
The completion of GERD, despite delays and mounting regional pressure, is hailed within Ethiopia as a symbol of self-reliance and resilience. However, it continues to inflame geopolitical tensions in the Nile Basin, raising urgent calls for renewed dialogue between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan over water-sharing agreements.
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