Abstract The history of Ethiopian dam building is deeply interwoven with the story of Salini Costruttori. Salini has been building dams in Ethiopia since the 1960s, navigating different political regimes to become a key partner of the Ethiopian Government in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. This chapter examines Salini projects across three different political regimes: the Legadadi Dam built under the Imperial regime (1964–1970); the Tana-Beles multipurpose project started in 1986 under the Derg; and the Gilge…