What changed
Kebede Gerba, an adviser to Ethiopia’s Ministry of Water and Energy, has called for Nile disputes to be handled by hydrology, geology and environmental experts rather than political pressure or military threats.
Speaking in Addis Ababa on November 4 during the Third Ethiopian Water and Energy Week, he argued that no country has exclusive rights to the river and proposed benefit-sharing instead of negotiations over fixed water quantities.
Why it matters
Gerba’s argument shifts the focus from dividing the Nile to coordinating how countries use it. Ethiopia could expand hydropower, he said, while downstream countries pursue irrigation and other water-dependent activities.
That idea comes with a responsibility: upstream projects should assess their downstream effects and avoid significant harm. In other words, technical cooperation is not a free pass for unilateral development. It is a demand for evidence, consultation and practical ways to reduce risks.
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam sits at the center of this wider argument. Gerba presented it as an example of upstream countries building the capacity to use their share of shared waters while recognizing effects beyond their borders.
The outlook is uncertain. These remarks do not amount to a new agreement or show that Egypt has changed its position. But they make clear what Ethiopia wants the governing principle to be: shared benefits, expert dialogue and peaceful engagement, rather than treating the Nile as an instrument of political or military pressure.
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