Time for Trust and Mutual Cooperation Talk

                                                                                                                     Dawit Miteku

In the 21st century, where the world has narrowed down into a single village courtesy of the globalization web, solving problems democratically with a round table discussion is one display of civility. As disagreements are common phenomenon within social interactions, it is believed that their solution should not be undemocratic.

The solutions in solving disagreements should be a path where all involved parties comes out equally benefitting. It shouldn’t involve hatching sinister plots and singing war tunes, by flaunting obsolete and antique thinking. This type of undemocratic outlook not only is detrimental to the parties involved, but it will also cost a hefty price, by being isolated from the international community, for the party involved in the type of distorted outlook.

As this type of olden times way of looking at things and thinking is unacceptable and does not have a place in the new age - it should be shrugged off. In order to shake off  this inhumane thinking, that had degraded down Africans from humanity, they had either separately or collectively fought against it; losing their lives, homes and being brutally tortured in the process.

So, this racist cancer cannot be even entertained let alone being carried out in the continent. The colonialism thinking, that’s buried and dusted, did not have any acceptance at the continent’s former organization, nor will it under the new union organization.

However, some of the Egypt’s elites, who seems to not exist in the present day Africa, really wants to dust off this colonial thinking that has shamed and exploited the whole continent and bring it to foray in this day and age.

The proponents of this thinking, very few brass of Egypt’s elites and some media, have attacked both the national interest of Ethiopia and the will of its people to escape poverty by condemning the construction of a dam through citing colonial-era treaties – a dam that’s important to our fight against poverty and a dam that’s built in an underlying principles of cooperation and mutual benefit. Any way it can safely be said that these types of comments are made out of not knowing, the peace loving nature of our people and the desire of East Africa countries to work cooperatively and develop as one.

This is because our country’s government and people in addition to living peacefully and with respect with other countries of the region, they are economically intertwined so that they can reap the economic benefits that come from mutual development.

Of course in my belief the interest of the Egyptian politicians to pursue the inevitable ‘win-win’ and cooperative solution to reap the full benefits and have mutual development across the basin.

Therefore, it’s imperative for our Egyptian and Sudanese brothers to probe into and understand on how the dam is going to turn into an asset for all the concerned parties. 

As a country with a vast potential for hydroelectric power, Ethiopia is launching the GERD for the sole reason of generating electric power without of coarse reducing the water quota of the downstream countries.

Although it’s within the our natural right to utilize our God given water resource, Ethiopia is known for initiating dam projects with due consideration and delicacy surrounding the projects.

For instance when the Tekeze River Dam was built, the government have taken every necessary steps to not harm the Sudanese farmers based along the Ethio-Sudan borders. Similarly, the same studies taken before the commencement of the GERD project, shows the dam benefits Sudan and Egypt as well as Ethiopia.

Among the many benefits the dam provides for both Egypt and Sudan are; first of all, the dam releasing regulated water will save them from excess silt load, which will rescue millions of dollars worth sweeping cost. It’ll also by regulating the water flow help save the Sudanese from flush floods.

Both countries will have an option on cheap electric power once the dam starts generating, and also the dam can save as much as some 3 billion cubic meters (BCM) worth of water which can be used by the riparian countries. The downstream countries can also save their irrigation project, which usually gets destroyed by flush floods.

Inversely, Ethiopia has a limited land for irrigation, yet, the water that will be conserved as a result of the dam and the 10 billion cubic meter water evaporating every year from the Aswan Dam, which is built in the Middle of the desert, is more than capable of satisfying Egypt’s water needs. Thus, there can be no clear or logical mismatch of interest that can arise between Ethiopia and the downstream countries.

The dam project is part of a larger scheme to meet the ever expanding Ethiopian Industry’s consumption demand, as the sector is growing at speeding rate and is expected to the take mantle of the country’s economy from the agricultural sector.

It’s the integral part of the government’s plan of alleviating our people out of poverty and backwardness. Still, Ethiopia has worked and will work to accommodate the lower basin countries interest while engaging in developmental projects around the Nile waters. Beginning from the designing stage unto the erection of the dam, the Ethiopian government has been ‘tasting the water’ for mutual benefit and ‘win-win’ solution for all the basin countries. And this stand never changes till now.

It’s a well known fact that for the first time the Ethiopian people and government are working at overtime to develop the country which was synonymous with famine and starvation unto self-relying and self-sufficient one. And this is proving to be realistic vision as the country for the last 13 years had more than 10% annual growth.

So, Ethiopians are fixated on continuing with the development agenda, not to get into calamitous war that would severely derail its path. The government isn’t the one for military posturing and ‘zero-sum’ game, but for mutual benefit and cooperation.

Of course trying to make the Nile River a personal property is irrational thinking. Moreover using an outdated political game or through threats and intimidation, won’t have a happy ending in the new Ethiopia’s politico-economic reality. Therefore, adhering to modern principles like discussion, mutual cooperation and ‘win-win’ approach, which benefits all the riparian countries, instead of an outdated undemocratic thinking is the way to go. So, I hope the downstream countries will come to understand the immense opportunity for mutual development for a win-win approach; and will proceed with cooperation and talk.