In a robust rebuttal delivered to lawmakers on Tuesday, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed dismissed assertions by former U.S. President Donald Trump that the United States funded the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a $4 billion hydro-electric project straddling the Blue Nile that will be Africa’s largest by capacity.
The premier clarified that no foreign loans or financial aid were received for the dam’s development, emphasising that the scheme was financed through domestic taxes and contributions from Ethiopians at home and abroad.
According to Abiy, not a single birr from external lenders was used, underscoring Ethiopia’s sovereign commitment to the project and rebutting narratives that the United States underwrote its construction.
The remarks come amid ongoing diplomatic sensitivities involving Nile waters, particularly with Egypt, which has expressed deep reservations about the dam’s implications for its own water security. Ethiopia’s stance reinforces its narrative of self-reliance and national achievement in completing the
scheme, asserting that international claims to the contrary are unfounded.