Book presentation: “Dams, Power, and the Politics of Ethiopia’s Renaissance”
About the book
After more than a decade, Ethiopia has completed the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a controversial dam with the potential to transform the hydrology and politics of the Nile Basin. The GERD is the culmination of a dam building boom carried out over three decades and a key pillar of the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front’s (EPRDF) efforts to bring about an Ethiopian ‘Renaissance’.
The book Dams, Power, and the Politics of Ethiopia’s Renaissance provides the first detailed examination of the domestic and international political dynamics that shaped Ethiopia’s dam building. The book draws on extensive primary research including more than a hundred interviews with politicians, technocrats, consultants, and donors. In doing so, the book reflects on Ethiopia’s implications for broader debates about the role of the state in late development, the dynamics of 21st century dam building, and the political economy of renewable energy transitions.
The book is available in open access.
Programme
The authors, Tom Lavers (University of Manchester), Biruk Terrefe (University of Bayreuth), Fana Gebresenbet (Addis Ababa University), Edegilign Hailu Woldegabriel (Addis Ababa University), Luca Puddu (University of Palermo), and Emanuele Fantini (IHE Delft) will present their chapters and discuss the main arguments of the book.
The event will be followed by drinks.
Registration
To participate online or in-person, please register below.
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