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Around the world these days, it has been keenly aware of Ethiopia’s innocent approach to ensuring fair, equitable and global water sharing to promote common growth and development of the region in general and of the riparian countries in particular.
High-level diplomacy, roundtable discussions and lighthearted approaches have been welcomed by this great East African nation since the cornerstone for the construction of the dam was laid on the Abay River. Although Egypt’s intermittent status has given Ethiopia and Sudan difficulties in reaching a lasting agreement, Ethiopia’s alpha and omega stance and principles have been upheld solely by swift diplomacy and civility-filled cooperation, as the nation he knows very well that no one benefits from confrontation.
The waters of Abay are excellent for quenching the thirst for development and prosperity of all riparian countries if they are exploited in a healthy way and managed cooperatively. However, the problem arises when a single nation wishes to exclusively monopolize it and make use of it, taking outdated colonial narratives for granted. The feeling of selfishness and the mere suspicion of water shortages and widespread drought must be eradicated from the minds of some riparian countries like Egypt.
In the age of globalization, where the world is becoming a small village attached to the web, and even the African continent is moving towards the creation of the United States of Africa (USA), it is surprising that the big three African nations, Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan have so far failed to end the negotiation over the waters of Ethiopia’s Great Renaissance Dam.
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Ethiopia has always taken an unwavering stance portraying an optimistic gesture for the growth and change of the riparian countries by focusing diplomacy and cooperation for the common good. Indeed, the time has come for Africa as it has begun to enjoy the fruits of the great sayings of its patriots “African Solutions to African Problems”.
What the Security Council recently did, referring the general case of the Dam to be postponed by the African Union is a peculiar and clear manifestation of the independence of the continent to find lasting solutions to its problems in all aspects. This trend must remain intact and the effort to make Africa’s renaissance a reality must be sustainable, just as the culture of growing cooperation and bargaining agreements must be well cultivated and expanded.
This cardinal measure incorporates in an excellent and exclusive way the issue of the Dam since it has been decades without having a baked bread to satisfy the hunger that the three countries suffer.
Finding lasting solutions to problems could be as easy as unlocking a certain key with its adjustment if Egypt understands Ethiopia’s intention well and wishes to grow together by establishing the trivial thinking that sprouted from the inconsiderate and unilateral colonial settlement, which is too old to be put into its place in the modern era.
In short, Ethiopia is more determined than ever to finish damming its great river, Abay, keeping up the fascinating diplomatic pace as the problem is increasingly becoming a matter of life and death. As has been said time and again, Ethiopia’s position must be well supported to achieve a win-win ending, as this strategic nation in East Africa has never thought of inflicting harm on downstream riparian countries.
