Mekelle/Tel Aviv/Nairobi/Pretoria/London
American Journalist Praises GERD as a Beacon of African Self-Reliance and Unity
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is more than a massive hydropower project it represents African self-reliance, regional cooperation, and a pathway to industrialization, according to American journalist Ann Garrison.
In an interview with the Ethiopian News Agency, Garrison, a contributing editor at Black Agenda Report and contributor to The Grayzone, hailed the GERD as “one of the most exciting stories in Africa today,” emphasizing its potential to power factories, schools, and homes while lifting millions out of poverty.
Garrison highlighted the dam’s unique financing as a key symbol of Ethiopian determination, noting that it was built without foreign loans but through contributions from ordinary Ethiopians. “I don’t know of another major project of this scale financed entirely by the people,” she said.
Addressing regional tensions, she dismissed Egypt’s reliance on colonial-era Nile treaties, arguing Ethiopia has the right to harness the river’s resources while also helping regulate floods in Sudan and Egypt.
She further stressed that Africa should pursue renewable energy solutions like GERD without pressure from industrialized nations, calling the dam “a massive renewable, eco-friendly, and sustainable energy source” crucial for Africa’s future.
Calling herself “the biggest fangirl of the GERD in the United States,” Garrison said the project is gaining recognition abroad as a rare story of African-led development and a model for cooperation across the Nile Basin.
