Ethiopia inaugurates massive dam that African leaders hail as potential key to prosperity

Members of the Ethiopian Republic March Band perform in front of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam ahead of its official inauguration ceremony in Guba, on Sept. 9.

African leaders are rallying in support of Ethiopia’s massive hydro dam on a Nile tributary, hailing it as a key step toward reducing the continent’s energy poverty, despite fierce opposition from Egypt .

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the biggest hydro dam in Africa, was inaugurated and brought into full production on Tuesday in a ceremony attended by presidents and dignitaries from East Africa and beyond.

The festivities on Monday night and Tuesday included a military parade, traditional dancers, drone displays and fireworks. An Ethiopian fighter jet roared low over the dam in a final dramatic flourish