Page 5 - AfrElec Week 18 2022

AfrElec HYDRO AfrElec

Addis Ababa warns

of increasing

cyberattacks on GERD

ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIAN authorities claim they have the turbines – despite strong objections by Egypt
thwarted international cyber-attack attempts and Sudan that it will cause downstream water
targeting the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam shortages.
(GERD) and major domestic financial institu- That action was seen as contrary to Cairo’s
tions, but warn of more to come, the East African mandate that the dam may not be filled without
reported on May 4. a legally binding agreement over the equitable
The GERD project will ultimately cost an allocation of the Nile River’s water.
estimated $5bn when completed and become Tensions among the three countries along
the biggest hydropower plant in Africa by gen- the mighty river escalated in April when Ethio-
erating 5,150MW of electricity, some of which pia started concrete construction on the body of
will be exported to neighbouring nations. the GERD, ahead of the third filling of the dam’s
According to Shumete Gizaw, director-gen- reservoir scheduled for July, amid the continued
eral of the Ethiopian Information Network stalled negotiations with Cairo and Khartoum.
Security Agency (INSA), “the failed cyber-at- Previously, Addis Ababa had accused Egypt-
tacks include attempts to impede the works of based hackers of attempting to hack into com-
the GERD by targeting 37,000 interlinked com- puter systems in Ethiopia. Speaking to local
puters used by financial institutions”. media, Gizaw warned that cyber-attacks against
Gizaw alleged that an organisation sponsored the GERD might increase in the future and said
by countries that “envy peace and development that concerted cyber security was being imple-
endeavours of Ethiopia” has declared cyberwar mented to protect both the construction and
against Addis Ababa. He did not disclose the administration of works on the mega-dam.
implicated organisation nor the countries alleg- Ethiopia, the second-most populous country
edly sponsoring it. on the continent, has the second-biggest electric-
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed officially inau- ity deficit in Africa according to the World Bank,
gurated electricity production from the GERD with about two-thirds of its population lacking a
in February by flicking a digital switch to turn on connection to the grid.™

Week 18 05•May•2022 www. NEWSBASE .com P5