Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — February 3, 2026 Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has refuted claims made by former U. S. President Donald Trump that the United States had financially supported the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
The $4-billion hydroelectric dam, which spans a tributary of the River Nile, is set to generate 5,150 megawatts of electricity, positioning it as the largest dam by power capacity in Africa. During the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, Trump stated that the dam was “financed by the United States and it basically blocks the Nile. Officials commented on the matter. “.
The GERD, whose construction commenced in 2011, was financed entirely through Ethiopian taxes and loans from citizens, both within the country and in the diaspora. Pietro Salini, CEO of Webuild, the project’s prime contractor, also confirmed that “not one international lender was willing to put money in this project.”Egypt, a close ally of the U.
S. And a significant Nile water user, views the dam as a threat to its water supply.
However, the construction firm maintains that the dam’s primary function is to produce energy, not irrigation, and thus does not consume large amounts of water.
Salini told AFP at the dam’s inauguration in September, “They are not irrigation schemes that consume water. While Egypt has expressed readiness to “relaunch mediation efforts, “Ethiopian authorities have yet to respond to these proposals.
Further details regarding the future of the GERD and its impact on regional relations are expected in the coming days.
