Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has firmly rejected claims that the United States financed Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), saying the project was built without a single dollar in foreign grants or loans.
Speaking on February 3, 2026 before the House of Peoples’ Representatives, the Prime Minister responded to recent remarks by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who repeatedly claimed that the U.S. funded the dam and warned it could threaten Egypt’s water security.
“It is unfair to assume Ethiopians cannot deliver a project of this magnitude,” Abiy said, stressing that the GERD was financed entirely through the collective effort of the Ethiopian people, including the diaspora.
Abiy said the GERD is not Ethiopia’s last major undertaking, pointing to the Koysha Hydropower Dam, now under construction and expected to be Africa’s third-largest.
He also highlighted other mega projects underway, including the Bishoftu International Airport, designed to become Africa’s largest aviation hub, a $2.5 billion fertilizer plant, and a gas refinery in Gode, which is expected to meet about 70 percent of Ethiopia’s fuel demand once fully operational.
Concluding his remarks, the Prime Minister stated that Ethiopia’s experience in mega-project monitoring, execution and leadership offers lessons not only for the country itself but for the entire African continent.
