PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Despite the efforts made over the past decades, water coverage as well as quality and continuity remain very low in Ethiopia and largely below international standards. Access to safe drinking water has even been declining in small and medium towns since 2015, partly due to the poor overall local capacities. Funds allocated by the Federal Government, Regional Water Bureaus and municipalities are not usually sufficient to match the investments needed to provide the towns with sufficient production and distribution infrastructure or renew existing networks. The lack of technical and managerial capacities (investment planning, operation & maintenance capacities, efficient billing and charges collection, etc.) at municipal level deteriorates the sustainability of existing water infrastructures. Town Water Utilities therefore face very low performances, both in terms of quality of service and cost-recovery, which limit their operational and financial autonomy. With ICON-INSTITUT’s contributions, the staff of up to 25 Regional Water Boards and Town Water Utilities were provided with managerial, operational and technical skills to ensure sustainable, efficient and reliable water services, including the provision of necessary furniture and equipment as well as capacity building activities such as lectures, discussions and on the job-training. Craftsmen and workers were trained in how to operate and maintain pumps and boreholes or treatment plants and networks, while technicians were enabled to treat water and to monitor water quality. With ICON’s support, managers became able to prepare strategic annual plans, to manage their finances and to implement tariff policies. They were trained in tender and public contract as well as customer management.

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