Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed officially inaugurated the 3.8 billion birr Rib Irrigational Dam Project yesterday.
Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen, President of Amhara Regional State Gedu Andargachew and other federal and senior regional officials also presided over the inauguration of the dam.
Located in South Gondar Zone of Amhara Regional State, the Rib Irrigation Dam Project has a capacity of 234 million cubic meters of water.
With 800 meters of length and 99.5 meters of height, the Dam is expected to develop over 20, 000 hectare of land and benefit 40, 000 farmers.
Moreover, the Dam will protect Lake Tana from alluvial deposits, especially soils formed in the river valleys.
The construction of the project was started ten years ago by Ethiopian Construction Works Corporation.
Speaking on the inaugural ceremony, Prime Minister Abiy said that the government would work to improve the livelihood of people through moving forward irrigational scheme and by promoting technological mechanisms of farming in the country.
“Share of irrigation farming in the agriculture is 10 percent, which only accounts four percent of the overall GDP share,” he said adding that “the government set to take irrigational scheme as its core development agenda.”
He noted that the newly established Irrigation Commission would invigorate a wide range of activities to change the livelihood of people through developing the sector.
Abiy added that the government would provide modern techniques of agriculture and professional support to the farmers to enhance agricultural productivity across the country.
