Standing atop the towering concrete walls of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Madaraka Nyerere, son of Julius Kambarage Nyerere, Tanzania’s founding father and a key architect of Pan-Africanism, said Africa’s future hinges on unity, self-reliance, and continent-wide economic cooperation.

Approached by at the GERD site, Nyerere stated that the megaproject embodies “the very spirit of Pan-Africanism” championed by his father and the other founders of the Organization of African Unity (OAU).

“I am very happy and proud that this is not just an Ethiopian project, but an African project,” he said.

He further underscored: “The founding fathers wanted political unity, but they also wanted economic, social, and even military unity. This dam is a huge step in that direction.”

Reflecting on the dam’s already growing regional impact, Nyerere expressed surprise and admiration when he discovered that electricity extending into Tanzania is to be partly supplied by Ethiopia through regional interconnections.

“I am embarrassed that it is only today that I find out Tanzania is also planning to receive electricity produced here,” he noted. “But I am proud — because this shows that Africa is already sharing its resources.”

For Nyerere, this interconnectedness is exactly what his father envisioned when he travelled regularly to Addis Ababa, the “capital of Africa” to lay the foundation for regional unity.

“My father’s ideas are still relevant today,” he stated, and emphasized that GERD stands as a monumental example of African self-reliance, a project built solely with domestic financing, contributions from ordinary Ethiopians, and without foreign control.

“My father introduced the policy of self-reliance. This project shows that those ideas are still relevant. We should depend on our own efforts, because without economic independence, there is no political independence.”

He stressed that for Africa to stand “side by side with the rest of the world,” it must control its development pathways rather than rely on external funding that compromises sovereignty.

Speaking of energy for Africa’s industrialization, Nyerere noted, “Africa must stop exporting raw materials.”

Highlighting the transformative potential of the GERD, Nyerere underscored that abundant, low-cost electricity is the foundation of industrialization — the missing link in Africa’s economic liberation.

“This dam provides the energy required for manufacturing. Africa can stop exporting raw materials and buying back finished goods. This is key to full independence.”

Hydropower projects like GERD, he said, could reshape Africa’s position in global trade by enabling regional value-addition and large-scale industrial development.

In a pointed message to current African leaders, Nyerere urged them to complement their annual meetings at the African Union headquarters with practical learning tours across Ethiopia.

“They come to Addis every year, but they should also visit what Ethiopia is doing. They can take these ideas home to benefit their own countries.”

He stressed that the Africa We Want — the African Union’s 2063 vision cannot be achieved through rhetoric alone. It requires replicating successful models of self-reliant development across the continent.

For Nyerere, the GERD is far more than a dam; it is a symbol of African dignity, determination, and unity built not for one nation but for the continent.

As he surveyed the vast expanse of the reservoir and the humming turbines below, he concluded with a reminder of the unfinished mission of African liberation: “The first step was political independence. Now we must complete the work economic independence, together.”