Ethiopia speeds up water projects with World Bank
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Fanamc
Ethiopia and the World Bank agreed to accelerate water and sanitation projects, extend the One WASH National Programme until 30 June and release outstanding funding. Talks also covered water resource management and administrative reorganisation, according to Ethiopia’s Ministry of Water and Energy.
Ethiopia and the World Bank have agreed to accelerate the implementation of water and sanitation projects, extend the One WASH National Programme until 30 June 2027 and speed up the release of the remaining development funding, according to Ethiopia’s Ministry of Water and Energy. The agreement was reached on 4 November in Addis Ababa during a meeting between Minister Habtamu Itefa and a World Bank delegation led by Julian Victor.
The discussions focused on the results of ongoing projects, their financing arrangements and measures to improve their implementation. Habtamu Itefa called for investments to be assessed according to the number of people gaining reliable access to safe services, rather than solely by the number of infrastructures built. He also presented administrative reforms aimed at reducing expenditure and merging certain structures, including the consolidation of four zones into a single operational unit in the Oromia Regional State.
Julian Victor said the World Bank’s active portfolio in Ethiopia was worth about $15 billion, with more than $3 billion allocated to the water and energy sectors. He also linked the expansion of essential services to Mission 300, the initiative aiming to connect 300 million Africans to electricity. The Ethiopian government is incorporating these investments into its Medemer strategic plan, which sets development targets for 2030, 2040 and 2050.
