Watch my interview by clicking: Lawrence Freeman – Battle Over the Nile: Egypt, US Pressure vs Ethiopia’s Right to Develop rumble.com

August 22, 2025

My presentation in the podcast above, was focused on the significance of Ethiopia’s completion of the Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD). I provide my reasoning that the GERD, which will be officially inaugurated in September, can be considered the most momentous accomplishment for Africa since the liberation from colonialism. The GERD, generating 5,150 megawatts, will be the largest hydro-electric dam in Africa, and one of the largest in the world. On a continent that is starving for electricity, the GERD stands out as a singular accomplishment by an emerging nation addressing its power deficit. This infrastructure marvel, self-funded by the Ethiopian people, up-ends the negative narrative about Africa. This massive, unique structure, generating much needed electricity, can help serve as a model for other nations.

The failure of Western governments, institutions, and media, to publicize this success by Ethiopia, speaks volumes. It exposes their failure to understand the invaluable economic worth of “infrastructure led development,” by an African nation.

It remains unclear how President Trump’s administration will respond to the announcement of the GERD’s completion. At times, in both of his

Presidencies, he has supported Egypt’s false narrative that alleges the GERD will reduce the flow of the Nile River to Egypt. The U.S. has significant financial and geopolitical interests in supporting Egypt in its allegations against Ethiopia’s GERD. Let us hope that President Trump has the vision to comprehend the multi-dimensional contributions of the GERD for Ethiopia and the entire African continent.

Read below my earlier posts on the GERD:

• Completed Ethiopia Dam-GERD Can Power East African Nation
• GERD: Utilizing the Blue Nile to Create Energy for Development in Ethiopia & The Horn of Africa
• The Legacy & Vision of The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
• Ethiopia’s Majestic GERD Is Not Appreciated By The U.S. & West

Lawrence Freeman is a Political-Economic Analyst for Africa, who has been involved in economic development policies for Africa for 35 years. He is a teacher, writer, public speaker, consultant on Africa, and an analyst of global strategic relations. Mr. Freeman strongly believes that economic development is an essential human right. He is the creator of the blog: lawrencefreemanafricaandtheworld.com, also publishes on: lawrencefreeman.substack.com, “Freeman’s Africa and the World, and on X @lkfreemansafrica