Ethiopia Says No Permission Needed to Develop Its Water Resources, Minister Declares
ADDIS ABABA, August 23, 2026 — Ethiopia does not require permission from any other country to develop its water resources, Water and Energy Minister Habtamu Itefa said, emphasizing the country’s sovereignty over its natural resources.
In an exclusive interview with Pulse of Africa, Minister Habtamu said Ethiopia had already demonstrated its determination to develop its water resources through the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
“Who said that we need permission from anyone? Ethiopia is a sovereign country,” he said, adding that Ethiopia would continue developing dams across different river basins whenever national needs arise.
Ethiopia Rejects Joint Management of GERD
The Minister also firmly rejected calls for joint management of the GERD, saying Ethiopia would not accept any arrangement that would give other countries control over a dam built and financed by Ethiopians.
“How can any entity ask to jointly manage the dam built by Ethiopians? This is impossible and unacceptable,” Habtamu said.
He stressed that the GERD was constructed primarily for electricity generation and is already contributing to regional energy development by supplying hydropower to neighboring countries.
Growing Regional Demand for Ethiopian Electricity
According to the Minister, Ethiopia is currently supplying electricity to Djibouti, Kenya, and Sudan, while discussions and preparations are also underway to meet growing demand from Somalia and South Sudan.
He noted that Kenya has been requesting additional electricity beyond what Ethiopia can currently supply, while demand from Somalia is also significant. Efforts are underway to connect Somalia to Ethiopia’s electricity network, he said.
South Sudan has likewise expressed interest in importing electricity from Ethiopia, reflecting growing regional demand for Ethiopian hydropower.
Ethiopia Calls for Cooperation on the Nile
Habtamu said Ethiopia’s approach to the Nile Basin is based on cooperation and negotiation among basin countries rather than restrictions on Ethiopia’s development of its own water resources.
He cited the Nile Basin Initiative and the Cooperative Framework Agreement as examples of efforts aimed at promoting cooperation and equitable use of the Nile.
The Minister argued that Ethiopia has played a leading role in encouraging Nile Basin countries to cooperate, despite being an upstream country.
“In the case of the Nile, it is Ethiopia that has been trying to lead the initiative to cooperate and work together,” he said.
Ethiopia Says It Has Considered Downstream Interests
Habtamu further pointed to what he described as Ethiopia’s restraint in developing some of its irrigation potential as evidence of consideration for downstream countries.
“Technically speaking, we have more than 230,000 hectares of irrigable land. But we are not irrigating that land because we know that there is a demand from the downstream side,” he said.
He also emphasized that water released from the GERD after electricity generation continues downstream, underscoring Ethiopia’s position that hydropower generation does not prevent water from reaching downstream countries.
The Minister’s remarks come amid continuing discussions among Nile Basin countries over water-resource development, cooperation, and the management of shared river resources.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency (ENA)
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