A coordinated national approach to water — one that balances economic development, ecosystem health, and the rights of every community downstream.
Ethiopia holds approximately 122 billion cubic meters of renewable surface water annually, making it one of Africa's water towers. The country manages 12 major river basins spanning diverse agro-ecological zones from highland plateaus to arid lowlands.
Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Ethiopia is guided by the National Water Policy (1999), the Water Sector Development Program, and the IWRM National Action Plan. The approach coordinates across water supply, irrigation, hydropower, environment, and climate resilience — balancing economic development with ecosystem sustainability.
The Ministry of Water and Energy (MoWE) leads IWRM implementation through the National Water and Integrated Resources Management (NWIRM) program, supported by basin authorities, regional water bureaus, and international development partners including the World Bank, African Development Bank, GIZ, and USAID.
Policy, legal framework, and financing that make coordinated water management possible.
MoWE, Basin Authorities, Regional Bureaus, and Water User Associations working in concert.
Basin plans, water allocation, monitoring, and national data systems for evidence-led decisions.
The public servants, scientists, and coordinators driving IWRM from policy to practice across twelve basins and every region.
project manager
DR Tesema itefa is a data scientist with 5+ years of experience in machine learning and predictive modeling. At TechCorp, she led a team that built an AI-powered recommendation system that boosted user engagement by 40%. She holds a Master's in Computer Science from MIT
IWRM program Director
Prof. Hilu Temam is an Animal Breeder with special focus on characterizing indigenous livestock and poultry nutrition.