Development as a Driver of Conflict in Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam Crisis

This study argues that although development can be a catalyst for a country's economic growth and political consolidation, on the other hand, development can be harmful and can lead to unimaginable crises. Recent trends in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) undertaken by the Ethiopian government have affected peaceful relations and conflict dynamics amongst the riparian states of the Nile River. The gap that this research tends to bridge in the existing literature is premised on the fact that development projects have the possibility of causing harm to their intended beneficiaries. The overall objective of this paper is to contribute to the body of knowledge available on the GERD project, while promoting peaceful inter-state relations. This study is a qualitative research, which was developed using published documentary sources. This research relied on information gathered from secondary sources: journals, book chapters, online newspapers, and so on. The theoretical framework used in this research is anchored on the idea of development as an impasse. This theory argues that development not only does well, it can also cause harm. A key finding of this study highlights that the GERD project has heightened tension and has resulted in the involvement of international actors such as Russia, the US, the European Union, the African Union, the Arab League, and so on, with divergent interests, which have further complicated negotiations and the path to peace. The study emphasizes the urgent need for a win-win peace approach, which will favor all eleven riparian states of the Nile River. Finally, there is a need for joint research by all riparian countries, which will recommend measures on how the Nile River can be used optimally by the riparian states.