Addis Ababa — Kenyan journalists are lauding Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) as a powerful symbol of Africa’s capacity to achieve development through self-reliance rather than foreign aid.
In an exclusive interview with ENA, Kenyan journalist John Riaga praised the GERD as a milestone for the entire region.
“What Ethiopia has achieved with GERD is huge,” he said, noting that it will “open the eyes of other African countries to freely use their natural resources, particularly water.”
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Riaga stressed that the GERD is more than a power project; it offers a blueprint for Africa’s broader development.
“This dam will not only generate electricity for Ethiopia but also serve as an example for the rest of Africa. We hope other nations will follow Ethiopia’s path and use their resources to improve the lives of their people,” he explained.
The journalist pointed out that affordable electricity from the GERD will free up household capital for business and other development initiatives.
The fact that Ethiopia financed the project entirely on its own, he added, is a “powerful lesson” that African nations can successfully undertake mega-projects without depending on external assistance.
Riaga also underlined that if our leaders able to think out of the box, we Africans can develop having utilized the natural resources the continent endowed with.
He called on Kenya and other African nations, including Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, and Lesotho, to embark on similar projects with their own resources.
“By doing so, Africa will grow exponentially and deliver tangible benefits to its people,” he affirmed.
Supporting Riaga’s view, fellow Kenyan journalist Agatha Ngotho emphasized that Africans must believe in their capabilities.
“Just as Ethiopia built GERD without external support, we Africans too must avoid dependency and build our own projects. Africa has both the potential and the resources. We should believe in ourselves and take responsibility for transforming our continent,” she said.
Both journalists agreed that the GERD is more than a dam, it is a symbol of African determination and a call for self-reliance in development.