Compilation of clips exhibits dams in South Africa and Brazil, not Ethiopia’s new Nile River undertaking

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed introduced in July 2025 that the multi-billion-dollar Nice Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) undertaking could be inaugurated in September 2025. Following this announcement, a put up printed on Fb claims to indicate footage of the dam in operation forward of its inauguration. Nevertheless, that is deceptive; the video exhibits dams in South Africa and Brazil.

The put up accommodates a textual content overlay in Amharic, which interprets to: “That is taking place in Meskrem 2018 E.C: the inauguration of the GERD dam and the beginning of oil manufacturing will happen collectively.”

Meskerem 2018 within the Ethiopian calendar is equal to September 2025.

The put up was initially printed on TikTok and has been shared greater than 110 instances because it was reposted to Fb on July 4, 2025.

The 53-second video encompasses a male information presenter reporting on an announcement made by Abiy in early July. Footage of assorted dam amenities show on the display over the audio.

“Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed informed members of parliament in the course of the forty second strange session that Ethiopia will start advertising oil beginning subsequent September,” the presenter says.

“As well as, he confirmed that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will probably be inaugurated this coming September.”

The GERD

On July 3, 2025, Abiy introduced the completion of the multi-billion-dollar mega-dam on the Blue Nile and stated it will be formally inaugurated in September 2025 (archived right here).

Launched in 2011 with a $4 billion finances, the GERD is taken into account Africa’s largest hydroelectric undertaking. The dam wall spans 1.8 kilometres (1.1 miles) and is 145 metres (475 ft) excessive.

Whereas Addis Ababa views the dam as important to its nationwide electrification program, it has been a supply of stress with downstream international locations Egypt and Sudan, who worry it may threaten their water provide from the Nile (archived right here).

Nevertheless, the video doesn’t present Ethiopia’s new dam, set for inauguration in September.

Gariep Dam

AFP Truth Verify used the video verification device InVID-WeVerify to conduct reverse picture searches on keyframes from the video and established that not one of the clips featured present the GERD.

Search outcomes point out that the primary 12 seconds of the video present the Gariep Dam, positioned between the Free State and Jap Cape provinces in South Africa.

The footage was printed on TikTok on January 30, 2021, with the English caption: “Gariep Dam 30/01/2021, 114% Full.”

The size of the video additionally precisely matches the footage within the deceptive clip.

Search outcomes additionally led to related movies right here and right here exhibiting the Gariep Dam overflowing (archived right here and right here).

AFP Truth Verify additional verified the dam’s location by evaluating options seen within the video with satellite tv for pc imagery on Google Maps (archived right here).

The spillway, crest and surrounding greenery all align with options seen within the video.

Footage of the Gariep Dam wall on inventory photograph website Shutterstock additionally match the construction within the clip (archived right here).

Funil hydro plant

Search outcomes confirmed that the portion of the clip from 13 to 40 seconds options the Funil Hydroelectric Energy Plant — a Brazilian dam positioned on the Paraíba do Sul River in Resende, Rio de Janeiro.

The section was uploaded to YouTube on October 6, 2023, with the title, “Opening of the spillway gate on the Funil hydroelectric plant in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil” (archived right here).

It was additionally printed on X on November 3, 2023, with the caption: “Spillway gates on the Funil Hydroelectric Energy Plant in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, serve the essential operate of releasing surplus water from the reservoir (archived right here).”

AFP Truth Verify once more corroborated these findings by evaluating options seen within the video with satellite tv for pc imagery on Google Maps.

The dam’s distinctive round spillway gate, the massive street in entrance of the spillway, and the encompassing forest all match the footage.

In the meantime, AFP file photographs of the GERD taken throughout development in 2022 present that it’s structurally totally different from the dams seen within the Fb clip.