By Mehari Beyene
Wendemu Moges, External Affairs and Public Relations Director of Ethiopian Civil Service University(ECSU)
" More importantly, the project takes the pride of place, representing an in comparable addition to our national plan for expanding power production. It will not only raise our own power generating capacity and meet our domestic needs. It will also allow us to export to neighbouring countries and mobilize the resources so necessary for the realization of the objective for our rapid development endeavours,efforts which are already yielding promising results," Was a remark made by the former Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's at the time of the launching of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Five years back Ethiopia made official its plan to build one of the largest dams in the world named " Project X" .Then it acquired the name Grand Millennium Dam. After that, it was named the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam( GERD).
GERD is under construction in the Benshangul-Gumz State of Ethiopia, located about 40-kms east to Sudan. This huge dam will deluge 1,680 square kilometers in north west Ethiopia near to the Sudan border.
The project is owned by Ethiopia Electric Power Corporation( EEPC). Before the dam was put into recitation, a tripartite committee organized by Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia, was formed in January 2012 to assess the benefit and the impact the project would have on the three countries. Regarding win-win cooperation, the architect of the Ethiopian Renaissance Meles Zenawi remarked that the Millennium Dam not only provide to Ethiopia. It will also offer mutually beneficial opportunities to Sudan and to Egypt.
To actualize the Renaissance Dam, about 80 Billion Birr was needed. In this regard, Meles noted that " If we are to ensure self development we have to ultimately thwart our financial shackles developing the culture of saving. The government will do everything possible to raise funds through increasing revenues and being careful in its expenditure."
" All the Banks will also be able to contribute their share in bringing the construction of this historic dam to completion. To enable every Ethiopian do this, the government has launched treasury bonds offering five per cent interest. Buying the bonds will allow all Ethiopians to benefit from the interest paid and to play their part towards the completion of the construction of the dam," Meles stated.
To keep Meles's vision alive, citizens are displaying hard work, dedication, endurance, commitment and loyalty. They as well make support available in monetary terms, technical and manual supports as well as means of positive reinforcement to complete the dam. Every segment of the society has been standing firm in the push to complete the construction of the dam.
Institutions have been involved diligently in materializing the dam including Ethiopian Civil Service University( ECSU), Broadcasting Authority, Meteorological Agency and Ethiopian Labour Union Confederation(ELUC).
Ethiopian Civil Service University(ECSU), External Affairs and Public Relations Director, Wendemu Moges said that since day one the dam was officially inaugurated, family members of ECSU have been striving hard to lend their hands for the renaissance dam through set agendas, gathered opinions and collected funds.
"While students have bought over a half million Birr bond forgoing daily meals and raising funds, staffers including, higher officials, personnels, co-workers and even foreign lecturers have contributed their 2 months salaries on installment basis. In so doing they have irrigated the project with more than 2.7 million Birr," he mentioned.
Wendemu further noted the university think-thanks have been active participants in the events of the dam workshops. They have offered expertise. And not less than one thousand workers have paid homage to the dam. Being an eyewitness to the ongoing project hearing things from fellow colloquies, the university community is longing the day the dam sees the day's light.
In the next round, ECSU will make sure that it will have more contributions for the dam, for GERD is an iconic figure to the bright future that awaits the country down the road. It will not be long we see a civilized, modernized and prosperous Ethiopia. It is time for poverty eradication and to join the ranks of middle-income countries. Hence their is a call for backing up development-oriented works, the Director added.
Ethiopian Labour Union Confederation External Affairs and Public Relations Head, Maesho Berhu pointed out that aside from the contribution of workers deployed in the renaissance dam, close to100,000 Birr is donated by only 10 high personnel among all 106 confederation employees. In fact,employees could not raise that much money due to the fact that the employees are paid less satisfactory wage. They lead s pay check to pay check life.
The workers have also been visiting the renaissance dam since 2013. In the coming years, the confederation will deploy concerted efforts to raise more funds for the renaissance dam as there could be wage increment to employees, he said.
Ethiopian Broadcasting Authority, Public Relations Co-coordinator Head, Werkneh Tafa said that as the dam is a mega and a flagship project for the nation, the authority has given due emphases for the construction of the grand dam and has been busy in mobilizing the public in a bid to positively reinforce the media community to disseminate news information which are factual, complete, influential, concrete, critical, comprehensive and advanced. It has worked hard towards disseminating messages and in so doing it has managed to ignite enthusiasm to be imprinted in the public mindsets.
According to Workneh, its staffers have bought bond amounting a quarter million Birr , their wages of 2 months. In 2015, staffers had visited the project. And they expressed determination to work aggressively in monitoring news outlets and providing well-founded feedback to foil negative views about the dam by retrogressive elements.
Ethiopian Meteorological Agency Director, Ahemeden Adulkerm said that before the renaissance dam was set in motion, the agency community has made study about the weather condition around that particular region. The study included, temperature, humidity, moisture and others -key elements in one way or another for the ongoing process of the construction of the dam.
Not less than 800 employees had contributed for actualization of the renaissance dam buying bonds and have visited the project site.
The fifth anniversary of the dam was celebrated in Guba yesterday in the presence of dignitaries including Prime Minister HaileMariam Desalegin. Such occasion must serve a moment of reiterating and reaffirming commitment.
Source: AllAfrica
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