What was needed for Ethiopia to build the largest hydroelectric dam in Africa

The mainstream of the construction site was initially predominant for the young Ethiopian mechanical engineer.

Hundreds have already dug the foundations for difficult conditions for the largest hydroelectric dam in Africa, surrounding the Blue Nile.

Moges Yeshiwas was 27 when he arrived at this remote corner of Western Ethiopia in 2012, eager to gain valuable experience in his profession. The completion of the project is intended to change its nation, but it also changed its life.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Abius Ahmed has officially launched the grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERB), which will help electrify the country and provide power to the region.

The dam wall extends by 1.78 km (1.1 miles) through the valley and stands 145 m (475 feet) height – it is built with 11 million cubic meters of concrete. He created a huge reservoir called Lake Nigat, which means dawn in Amkharski.

The construction of the Nile influx dam, which provides the greater part of this water on the big river, was contradictory to the sides down the chain. Diplomatic tension with Egypt turned And it was even talking about conflict.

But for Ethiopia, GERB has become a symbol of national pride, and according to Abius, he has put his country firmly on the world stage.

At the personal level, Moges, who is already 40 years old, was also “very proud to be part of it.”

“Watching the progress of the dam day during the day was deeply satisfying. I came to look for a job, but somewhere along the way stopped feeling like just a job. I got attached to the project, worrying about my future as if it were my own.”

There were challenges.

“The long separation from the family was difficult,” he told the BBC. Mr. Moges could only be home at home, 400 km in Bahir Dar-twice a year.

The remoteness of the website of the dam and sometimes exceptional heat – with temperatures, sometimes hitting 45 ° C – also problems are also presented. Plus, the hours were long.

“Our shifts were moving from 7am to 7pm, with only an hour of rest for lunch. Then we handed over to the night crew because the work had to continue around the clock,” said G -N Moges.

His job was to make sure that the construction work was structurally stable and the construction standards were maintained.

The GERB project was a rare unifying force, since in the last decade the country of Africa has been shaken by political violence and ethnic strife.

While some, like the engineer, worked directly on the dam, millions of other Ethiopians were literally invested in it.

People from all spheres of life contributed to the construction of the dam through donations and the purchase of government bonds issued by the government.

Despite the claims of US President Donald Trump that Washington financially supports the construction of the dam, Addis Ababa maintains that he has been fully funded internally.

Several fundraising campaigns have been conducted to see that public members have been contributing many times over.

Clinical nurse Kiros Asfau was one of them.

Although it was from the Tigrai region, which was sunk in a two -year civil war, he contributed when he could have been built for the dam since the plans were first announced in 2011.

He says he bought government bonds more than 100 times – although he had to stop his purchases during the conflict when the main services, including banking, were stopped in Tigrai.

The motivation of G -n Kiros is rooted in remarks made by the late Prime Minister of Ethiopia Meles Zenavi, who led the beginning of the project that all Ethiopians should gather in support of the dam.

“I promised to do my best to help him in the finals,” Pet’s father told the BBC.

Now that all turbines work, thoughts turn to what difference the power of Ethiopia can make.

At full capacity, it must generate 5100mW power – more than twice as much as the country produces without a dam and enough to deliver tens of millions of more homes in the country. However, it depends on the fact that the infrastructure is available for the transfer of power to different parts of the country.

Water and Energy Minister Habtamu Ifetta told the BBC that nearly half of 135 million people in the country do not have access to electricity.

“This is what we want to reduce now over the next five years. Our intention is by 2030. At least 90% of our nation has to gain access to electricity,” he said.

Thirty -five -year -old Gennessh Gabiso, who lives in Alamura, an agricultural village just outside Hawasa, a major city in southern Ethiopia, is one of those who imagine the difference he can make.

Her life reflects that of millions of others in rural Ethiopia.

Although her small, muddy salt chalet is only 10 km from Hawasa, Mrs. Genesh, her husband and her three children do not have access to electricity.

For cooking, she collects firewood around her farm nearby.

And for light, they use lamps with a kerosene motor. Her husband, Gernsa Galca, is concerned about the health of her family.

“Getnesh had big and beautiful eyes. But in all these years, smoke damaged them. They became watery,” he said.

“I worry what I would do if the fumes suffocate my children.”

For G -Jenzh, who, when dark, sometimes relies on the weak light from her husband’s mobile phone, just the opportunity to see at night is what she dreams of.

“I want to see light in my house. All other electric goods don’t matter now. Just a light in the evening is all I want,” she says to the BBC.

They look forward to the difference that the power of GERB can make. But Government Minister Habtamu admits that much more need to be done to expand the infrastructure of national electricity.

Tens of thousands of kilometers of cable still need to be placed to ensure that small towns and remote villages can be connected.

But for the engineer, Moges, the power generated on Blue Nile, will eventually matter.

He has a son who was born while working on the dam.

“I hate the fact that I couldn’t be there as much as I needed,” he says. “But I know his future will be bright because of something I have contributed. I am so proud that I tell him that when he grows up.”

Additional Reporting by Hannah Temuari