President John Dramani Mahama joined Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali to inaugurate the Megech Irrigation Development Project in northern Ethiopia, a dam and reservoir expected to expand agricultural production and improve access to drinking water.
The project, which began 18 years ago before stalling, was revived by Abiy’s government three years ago and has now been completed, according to information released by the presidency.
The facility has a storage capacity of 185 million cubic metres and is expected to support irrigation across 17,000 hectares of agricultural land, potentially strengthening food production and livelihoods in the region.
It will also supply potable water to Gondar and nearby satellite towns, linking the infrastructure investment to both agricultural development and urban water security.
Mahama arrived in Gondar on Friday for an official visit at Abiy’s invitation and joined the Ethiopian leader to inaugurate the project shortly after landing at Gondar Airport.
He commended the Ethiopian government and people for their resilience in completing the project, describing it as an investment that would benefit future generations.
The inauguration comes in time to strengthen food security, improve agricultural productivity and expand infrastructure to support economic development. However, the presidency’s statement did not disclose the project’s total cost, financing arrangements or the timetable for bringing the full irrigation capacity into operation.
Mahama is scheduled to travel to Bahir Dar on Saturday to chair the 12th Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa, where African leaders, policymakers and security experts will discuss peace, governance and security challenges across the continent.
