Salini: GERD Stands as Testament to Ethiopian Determination and Continental Progress

Addis Ababa, September 9, 2025 (FMC) – The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), officially inaugurated today, represents a monumental achievement for Ethiopia and a symbol of the nation’s resilience, Italian construction group Webuild’s CEO, Pietro Salini, said.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony attended by dignitaries from neighboring countries, Salini highlighted the dam’s transformative potential. He noted that GERD is expected to provide electricity to an estimated 35 million Ethiopians, while also offering the opportunity to sell surplus power to neighboring nations, thereby strengthening regional ties and promoting peace.

Salini underscored the scale of the project, describing GERD as Africa’s largest hydroelectric facility, with a generating capacity equivalent to three nuclear power plants. The reservoir is now fully filled, marking the culmination of a 14-year effort to harness the Abay River for national development.

Speaking on behalf of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Salini extended congratulations to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and the Ethiopian people for realizing the project without external financing. “No one wanted this country to build this project, and no one was willing to finance it. There were many political challenges and no easy solutions,” he said.

The CEO emphasized the dam’s unique character as a people-driven initiative, noting that millions of Ethiopians contributed to its funding through bond purchases. Reflecting the national sentiment, Salini quoted the popular mantra: “It was my dam… This is it. It is their dam.”

Salini also paid tribute to the engineers, technicians, and thousands of workers who made the project possible. Beyond the dam’s physical structure, he highlighted the human capacity built through the project, noting that over 25,000 young Ethiopians received on-the-job training, gaining skills that will serve the country’s future development.

Drawing a parallel between the dam and the Ethiopian spirit, Salini compared the nation’s determination to its long-distance runners who train at high altitudes: “Ethiopians do not bend or step back from what they believe and want,” he said.

Concluding his remarks, Salini described the inauguration not as an endpoint but as the beginning of a new chapter. “The future has only started today,” he said, underscoring GERD’s role in shaping Ethiopia’s economic and regional trajectory.