52 Million Lives.
One Ministry.
Two Decades.
Two decades of coordinated investment, policy reform, and community partnership have transformed access to water for more than half of Ethiopia's population.
People Reached
since 2002
Safe Water Access
national average 2024
Active Projects
across 12 basins
ETB Invested
since 2015
Documented Impact
52M
people now have access to safe water who didn't in 2002
Population reached by MoWE-led water programs since the Water Sector Development Program launched
38,000+
rural water points constructed
Springs, boreholes, hand-dug wells, and piped schemes across all 12 Ethiopian basins
6→1 hr
women's daily water collection time in project areas
Average collection time reduced from 6 hours in 2000 to under 1 hour in communities served by MoWE projects
ETB 24.6B
invested in water infrastructure since 2015
Federal and donor co-financing mobilized through the NWIRM program and its predecessors
1.2M ha
of watershed rehabilitated
Degraded hillsides, riparian zones, and catchment areas restored through community watershed management programs
340,000
water user association members trained
Community-based O&M capacity built to sustain infrastructure after project completion
Who Makes This Possible
IFAD
ETB 8.2B
Water Supply & Sanitation
Unicef
ETB 5.1B
Irrigation & Hydropower
UNDP
ETB 1.8B
IWRM & Governance
SNV
ETB 2.3B
WASH & Resilience
IRC Ethiopia
ETB 0.9B
Rural Water & Hygiene
GIZ
ETB 1.4B
Climate & Environment
International Recognition
Excellence Award — Best National IWRM Program
Recognized for outstanding implementation of integrated water resources management at national scale.
Global Acceleration — Leading African Case
Ethiopia cited as the leading African implementation case for SDG 6 within the UN-Water Global Acceleration Framework.
Innovative Basin Management Recognition
Recognized for the Abbay/Blue Nile Basin integrated planning model as a replicable approach for transboundary basins.