Who’s Coming for GERD Inauguration? 10+ African-Caribbean Leaders Expected











Ethiopia’s GERD Inauguration Puts Guba on the Diplomatic Map — and to the Test

Addis Ababa / Guba, Benishangul-Gumuz — Ethiopia’s government is preparing for the most high-stakes event in its recent history: the official inauguration of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile. The ceremony, planned for Tuesday in Guba, Benishangul-Gumuz, is expected to draw a mix of African and Caribbean leaders who were already in the capital this week for two major summits.

The symbolism is immense. For Ethiopia, hosting dignitaries on the dam site underscores both engineering ambition and political defiance. But the logistical challenges of staging a world-class event in one of Ethiopia’s most remote corners highlight the limits of infrastructure and security readiness.

Why They’re Already in Addis

Addis Ababa has been the stage for two overlapping high-profile gatherings:

The Africa–CARICOM Summit, focused on reparations, sovereignty, and deepening Afro-Caribbean ties.

The Africa Climate Summit (ACS2), dedicated to green finance, industrialization, and holding global partners accountable.

Both events drew more than a dozen presidents, prime ministers, and senior ministers. Their presence in Addis gives Ethiopia an unusual diplomatic opportunity: to extend invitations for the GERD’s inauguration without requiring long-haul travel.

Who’s Coming

Kenya’s President William Ruto is the only head of state confirmed by his office to attend in person, billed as “chief guest.” Ruto’s presence reflects Kenya’s growing role in continental climate and energy diplomacy.

Other leaders who were in Addis for the two summits have been invited, though their participation remains unconfirmed:

João Lourenço, President of Angola

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of Somalia

Brahim Ghali, President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic

Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados

Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua & Barbuda

Philip Davis, Prime Minister of The Bahamas

Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent & the Grenadines

Terrance Drew, Prime Minister of St. Kitts & Nevis

Mohammed Jallow, Vice President of The Gambia

Hussein Abdulkadir, Foreign Minister of Djibouti

Philip Mpango, Vice President of Tanzania (expected, not confirmed)

The likely scenario, according to diplomats, is a hybrid format: a handful of leaders present at the dam itself, with the rest appearing virtually.

Getting to Guba

The GERD’s geography is both its strength and its weakness. Located near the Sudanese border, the project was deliberately sited far from Ethiopia’s highland heartland to maximize its hydro potential. But access remains limited.

By road: Addis Ababa to Guba is a 700-kilometer drive, requiring 12–15 hours on a mix of highways and unpaved stretches.

By air:



Assosa Airport (200 km away) has a 2,350-meter asphalt runway capable of handling Boeing 737s and Dash-8 turboprops.







Pawe Airfield and Mandura strip are shorter and poorly maintained, suitable only for small aircraft.







Helipads built during dam construction now serve as the most practical means of ferrying VIPs from Assosa to the GERD site.

Assosa Airport (200 km away) has a 2,350-meter asphalt runway capable of handling Boeing 737s and Dash-8 turboprops.

Pawe Airfield and Mandura strip are shorter and poorly maintained, suitable only for small aircraft.

Helipads built during dam construction now serve as the most practical means of ferrying VIPs from Assosa to the GERD site.

Ethiopian Airlines is expected to deploy chartered turboprops for dignitaries, with military helicopters bridging the final stretch.

Security Headaches

Benishangul-Gumuz has experienced sporadic ethnic violence and militia activity in recent years. That complicates security for an event of this scale. Federal police and army units have been reinforcing the area since early September, according to people familiar with the planning.

“There’s a thin line between symbolism and risk,” said one Addis-based analyst. “The government wants the world to see the dam, but every extra head of state raises the stakes.”

Ethiopia’s Symbolism, From Adwa to GERD

The choice to inaugurate the GERD at its remote site carries echoes of Ethiopia’s wider historical narrative. This is a country that defeated colonial conquest at Adwa in 1896, safeguarding its sovereignty while much of Africa was partitioned. It later hosted the birth of the Organisation of African Unity (now African Union) in Addis Ababa, cementing its place as a continental capital.

By completing the GERD largely without Western financial institutions or Bretton Woods support, Ethiopia signals continuity in its tradition of self-determination. Just as it rejected colonial-era treaties over the Nile that privileged downstream states, it now demonstrates that Africans and their partners in the Caribbean can finance and execute mega-projects on their own terms.

For visiting leaders, especially those from the Caribbean engaged in debates on reparations and sovereignty, the symbolism is stark: Ethiopia is setting a precedent for South-South achievement without external tutelage.

Showpiece or Showdown

For Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, inaugurating the GERD in Guba rather than Addis is a deliberate gamble. It signals confidence, sovereignty, and control over Ethiopia’s periphery. But it also exposes infrastructure gaps — limited airports, long overland transfers, and fragile regional stability.

Most leaders who came to Addis for the twin summits are unlikely to extend their stay into the lowlands. Yet even a handful of physical attendees, combined with live feeds and dramatic drone footage of the dam, may be enough for Ethiopia to project its intended message: that it has delivered Africa’s largest hydro project, on its own terms.

The Bottom Line

The GERD inauguration is less about who makes it to Guba and more about the narrative Ethiopia wants to project. For Abiy, even one confirmed ally on the dam’s concrete crest — Kenya’s William Ruto — is victory enough.

From Adwa to the African Union to the GERD, Ethiopia has consistently sought to redefine African independence, resilience, and leadership. The question now is whether Guba’s rugged terrain can host the kind of spectacle that does justice to that legacy.