Ethiopia and Team Europe have completed a €75 million urban water supply and sanitation programme that is expected to improve services for more than 2.1 million people across 43 towns in eight regions.
The Ministry of Water and Energy said the programme has delivered new water sources, expanded transmission and distribution networks, and upgraded urban water systems in towns facing long-standing shortages. The improvements include deep groundwater wells, spring developments, nearly 1,500 kilometres of water pipelines, 75 storage reservoirs, and two conventional treatment plants in Metehara and Jinka.
The project also included the installation of 79 surface pumps and 61 submersible pumps, as well as water treatment facilities, generator and pump houses, and operational buildings for town water utilities.
Launched more than a decade ago in Addis Ababa, the programme was supported by Team Europe partners including the European Investment Bank’s EIB Global, the French Development Agency, the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and the European Commission.
State Minister for Water and Energy Asfaw Dingamo said at the closing ceremony that the initiative forms part of the government’s broader effort to expand urban water supply and sanitation services with international support.
European Investment Bank Vice President Marko Primorac said the project shows how public institutions can help overcome investment barriers and deliver resilient infrastructure with tangible results on the ground.
French Development Agency Country Director Louis-Antoine Souchet said the programme demonstrates the value of partnership in delivering sustainable development outcomes and said discussions were under way on preparing a new project to continue support for the sector.
Michele Morana, head of AICS’s office in Addis Ababa, said Italy’s support brought technical expertise and institutional cooperation that helped turn infrastructure investment into more reliable services for urban communities.
The programme is part of Ethiopia’s wider push to strengthen water and sanitation access in fast-growing urban areas, where demand has often outpaced infrastructure.
