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Paper short abstract:

This paper aims to investigate the role of Ethiopian scientists in processes of knowledge production, decision-making and legitimacy creation around the construction of dams, bringing an expert bottom-up perspective to the debate around the environment-development nexus.

Paper long abstract:

African dams figured prominently among the development projects supported by post-colonial governments and international donors since the 1960s. They have been looked at as providers of renewable energy as well as tools for mitigating the impact of extreme weather events; they have been criticized for their social and environmental impact and investigated from a geopolitical perspective to assess their impact on regional and global power balances. Historically, dams have provided a concrete example of the tension between environment protection and economic growth, figuring prominently in the environment-development nexus. While being part of development strategies that each government formulates, their actual construction largely depends upon the access to international finance and on knowledge about the available technologies and impacts, which is often produced by international consultants and experts.

To what extent do local scientific communities contribute to the process of dam construction? To what extent are they involved in knowledge production, decision-making and legitimacy creation in their own country? To what extent are they called to reflect on the implications, and possible coping strategies, of the construction of dams on the environment-development nexus?

Building on fieldwork that will be conducted in February and March 2023, this paper aims to contribute to the debate around development knowledge by encouraging a closer engagement with local scientific and technical experts’ communities in Ethiopia, one of the most active African countries in harnessing its water resources thorough a widespread – and still growing – system of large - and sometimes highly contested – dams.