Omo Change

In 2010, Zenawi, former Prime Minister of Ethiopia, announced the construction of the biggest dam in Africa, named Gibe III. In order to start the construction, 4.8 billion Euros have been given to the construction company, the Italian Salini SpA. It will be the biggest investment ever made in all of Africa. The construction will interest a fragile geographical area from the ecological point-of-view: the Omo Valley. This valley is inhabited by different ethnicities that were able to develop the agricultural system that works on a delicate balance between survival of mankind and the usage of the natural resources. This area is internationally known for its extraordinary biodiversity, and since 1980 it has been included in the UNESCO heritage sites list. The construction of this dam has a double target; to produce hydro electrical energy to export in the neighboring countries (Sudan, Djibouti and Kenya) and stimulate the development of agriculture through the construction of a dense network of irrigation ditches that will allow to include the extensive crops which have a high economic value, such as cotton fields. Furthermore, controlling the Omo River, will allow to make a huge government project possible: the Omo Kuraz Sugar Factories Project, which sees the cultivation of approximately 245,000 hectares of land for the production of sugar cane, to be used to produce both ethanol and sugar. Some experts foresee strong environmental and social-economic impacts. The reduction of the flow of the river will reduce the extension of the pluvial forest and the loss of biodiversity. These projects will also stop the floods, and the procurement by the government of the land will create new geographical borders between the tribes, who will have less and less land to use for agriculture and sheep-farming, changing the social assets of those tribes. These changes are already happening.