Africa in Motion: Why the rush to build Grand Renaissance and Inga 3 Dams in Africa?

Abstract

Abstract:It is worthwhile to search that what really drives the two large dam's construction rush in Africa? To understand what has changed since the beginning of the 21st Century. When former Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi gave an interview following the signing of the Entebbe Agreement in 2010, he had said, "some people in Egypt have old-fashioned ideas based on the assumption that the Nile water belongs to Egypt." But, "the circumstances have changed and changed forever." When he stressed this extraordinary changing in his speech, multinational driving forces has been in use to paradigm shift to solve some international disputes since the beginning of the 21st Century. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi was a visionary leader who brought real benefits on the table to share with. As the years go by Zenawi's statement come true.But mostly no attention has been given to what was "old fashion" and what is the circumstances that have changed forever in his statement. Rapidly developed and constructed water projects showed that it is time to remember these words to analyse new security paradigm as well as new driving forces in some African transboundary river basins. Some examples can be taken as Grand Renaissance Dam in Ethiopia and Grand Inga Dam in DR Congo that will be addressed in this article. First one has already completed as percent %60 and second one construction will start in very soon. Africa urgently needs energy to lift its people out of poverty and pursue sustainable development. The Nile and Congo River offers enormous opportunities for doing this.In this article,we aimed to highlight additional drivers being effective to develope transboundary waters faster than late 20 th Century.