Blue Deal Abbay

Period

2019 – 2030
Region

Abbay Basin and the Rift Valley Lakes

Services overview

WOP partner who worked on this project

WOP partners

Abbay Basin Development Office, Rift Valley Lakes Basin Development Office & the Ministery of Water and Energy

Ethiopia

Revitalising Africa’s water tower: sustainable water allocation & irrigation

As the Water Tower of Africa, Ethiopia’s abundant water resources underpin regional livelihoods. But uneven management and inefficient distribution leave communities underserved and ecosystems stressed. Our Blue Deal partnership fosters collaborative, data-driven solutions. Together with ministries, basin offices, and local stakeholders we work towards equitable allocation, robust monitoring, nature-based solutions and sustainable water stewardship in this beautiful country.

Since 2019, World Waternet and Ethiopia’s Ministry of Water and Energy have joined forces under the Blue Deal to pioneer sustainable river basin management across Ethiopia’s Abbay and Rift Valley Lakes Basin. By deploying cutting-edge monitoring equipment, we’re revolutionizing data collection and management in the Ethiopian context, empowering local basin offices with real-time insights into flows, water quality, and allocation needs. As the basin offices prepare to introduce equitable water tariffs, we’re engaging farmers, utilities, and community leaders to co-design fair pricing models that ensure reliable supply and long-term cost recovery. Behind the scenes, our laboratories are working toward ISO 17025 certification, guaranteeing world-class water quality testing that underpins every decision. From pilot sub-basins for irrigation and hydropower to capacity-building workshops in Addis Ababa, our collaborative approach blends technical innovation with intensive stakeholder participation. Working together for safeguarding Africa’s water tower, where data-driven management, inclusive governance, and quality assurance come together to secure a resilient, sustainable future for generations to come.

Workforce development and on the job/premise training Leadership and team empowerment Capacity-building workshops and seminars Peer-to-peer knowledge exchanges and mentorship Skills development for water governance, operations, and finance Stakeholder engagement and communication strategies Maturity level scan Governance framework development Trusted advisor & catalyser Inclusion - Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Water cycle management Water safety & quality Climate resilience and mitigation Nature-based solutions Natural wetlands Research & innovation Soil subsidence and agroforsty Operational performance improvement Digitalisation/GIS Data and sensoring Mobile water management app E-learning Governance billing Circular economy Equity: low-income community provision

To help our partners further develop their sustainable integrated water resource management, our 2025 focus is on:

• Robust water monitoring through rehabilitation of 15 telemetric stations, installation of 10 new sites, and dataloggers on 5 groundwater wells.
• Sustainable ICT infrastructure at the Abbay Basin Administration Office, with a five-year support plan embedded in its annual budget.
• A fully operational Decision Support System, tested in pilot areas to optimize water allocation under four climate scenarios.
• ISO-certified water quality management, with laboratory audits, SOPs for critical parameters, and consistent data according to ISO standards.
• Effective stakeholder engagement via local Water User Associations, multi-stakeholder platforms, and inclusive social-inclusion training to empower vulnerable groups.
• Knowledge exchange platforms connecting River Basin Organisations, MoWE, and international partners to share best practices in IWRM, NBS and tariffing.
• Pilot interventions in Koga and Kunzila, with water-availability studies, permitting of WUAs and awareness raising on water pricing.