When Turkey began filling the Ilisu Dam on the Tigris River, there was strong opposition from environmental groups, legal teams, and the government of Iraq. They raised serious concerns about the dam’s potential to displace tens of thousands of people, threaten the water supply downstream, and permanently submerge the 12,000 year old town of Hasankeyf a place of immense cultural and historical significance.

Despite these legitimate objections, the European Union declined to intervene. The EU clearly stated that the project was a Turkish internal affair, and that it had no mandate to interfere in a sovereign nation’s domestic development decisions even though the project had regional consequences.

Similarly, China went ahead with the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, one of the largest and most powerful dams in the world, despite widespread warnings that it could even affect the Earth’s rotational balance and global timekeeping. Though these concerns are still debated among scientists, China prioritized its own national interests and long-term energy strategy, and the dam was completed.

In contrast, Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is not displacing ancient towns, it is not displacing large populations, and it poses no risk to global systems. Yet, despite being entirely located within Ethiopian territory, GERD has been met with disproportionate international scrutiny. The United Nations Security Council has convened at least two meetings specifically to discuss the dam, and the European Union has expressed regret over Ethiopia’s decision to proceed with reservoir filling before reaching a comprehensive agreement with downstream countries. This raises a fundamental question: why has a purely developmental and domestic project drawn such exceptional attention, when similar or even more controversial dams in other countries met with acceptance or silence?

GERD is not a symbol of conflict it is a symbol of survival and transformation. It represents a crucial step for over 120 million Ethiopians to rise from energy poverty, power their homes, light their schools, support their hospitals, and drive industrial growth. In a country where more than half the population lacks access to electricity, GERD offers a clean, renewable, and sustainable solution. Its benefits are not limited to Ethiopia alone. By exporting electricity to neighboring countries like Sudan, Kenya, Djibouti, and South Sudan, Ethiopia is contributing to regional energy integration and economic development across East Africa.

The purpose of GERD aligns fully with international development and climate goals. It directly supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in eradicating poverty, expanding access to clean energy, reducing deforestation, and promoting climate resilience. Every kilowatt of power generated from GERD means fewer trees cut for firewood, fewer households relying on charcoal, and more communities advancing toward sustainable livelihoods.

Ethiopia has taken a responsible and cooperative approach throughout this project. It has conducted thorough environmental and technical assessments and has repeatedly invited Egypt and Sudan to engage in meaningful dialogue under the facilitation of the African Union. The country has proposed coordinated and phased reservoir filling strategies to ensure that downstream flows are not significantly disrupted. Ethiopia has shown patience, transparency, and respect for international norms at every stage.

Unlike other major dam projects that have proceeded with little regard for transparency or regional consultation, GERD stands as a model of restraint, equity, and environmental awareness. It is smaller in scale than many of the dams that have faced no global objections, and its impact is managed with care. Yet it brings enormous value not only to Ethiopia but to the broader region.

GERD is not about controlling water. It is about enabling life. It is about giving light to millions of homes that have lived in darkness. It is about powering classrooms so that children can learn. It is about creating jobs, reducing poverty, and offering a future that is not dependent on foreign aid, deforestation, or energy imports. To deny Ethiopia the right to use its own resources for such vital development is both unjust and unsustainable.

Those who oppose GERD while ignoring the far more disruptive impacts of other international dams must ask themselves: is this really about water, or is it about power? The world must now stand with Ethiopia’s right to develop. Ethiopia is not asking for special treatment. It is doing what any responsible, forward looking nation would do building its future with its own resources, in accordance with international law, regional cooperation, and environmental responsibility.

Energy poverty remains one of the gravest barriers to Africa’s progress. In Ethiopia, more than 40 percent of the population lacks access to electricity. GERD is a transformative national project that can deliver over 6,000 MW of clean, renewable energy not only to Ethiopia but also to the wider Horn of Africa.

Denying Ethiopia this access is tantamount to denying millions the right to health, education, productivity, and dignity. As noted in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 7): “Access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all” is a universal priority.

The Nile must no longer be treated as a tool of monopolized privilege. Ethiopia is saying clearly: we will not live in the dark to maintain an unjust arrangement forged in a different era.

Sisay Teka Alemayehu is a water engineer by profession.

Contributed by Sisay Alemayehu