Today Ervin Massinga, U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia, and Ambassador Asfaw Dingamo, the State Minister for Water Supply and Sanitation from the Ministry of Water and Energy, launched two new Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) projects.  These projects are funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and are called Urban WASH and Climate Resilient WASH.

Urban WASH is a five-year, $45 million project that will provide construction and technical support to accelerate access to WASH services in ten secondary cities in Ethiopia.  Urban WASH will focus on professionalizing municipal utilities and building up markets for WASH services like safe toilet pans and handwashing stations that anyone can afford.  The program will also help local authorities plan and budget for infrastructure in their areas, and more.

Climate Resilient WASH is also a five year, $45 million project that will focus on providing similar services to underserved rural populations in Afar, Oromia, Somali, and South and Central Ethiopia Regional States.  The program will expand climate-resilient water services for pastoral communities. It will also make sure families in these lowland areas have access to affordable sanitation and hygiene products and services, and more.

With the programs announced today, USAID expects to reach over 900,000 Ethiopians by 2028 with access to safe water and an additional 800,000 people with access to basic sanitation across Ethiopia. The project will also spur tens of thousands of jobs for Ethiopians building water, hygiene and sanitation infrastructure.

“This work is very close to my heart. We know that providing our Ethiopian brothers and sisters with handwashing facilities, improved latrines, and other sanitation supplies ensures that children miss fewer days at school, and that helps families live healthier and more prosperous lives,” said Ambassador Massinga.

The joint launch event also highlighted that Ethiopia was selected as a ‘High Priority Country’ under the U.S. Government’s Global Water Strategy.  As such, USAID unveiled a new WASH High Priority Country Plan for Ethiopia, which perfectly aligns with the Government of Ethiopia’s One WASH National Program—a framework to achieve universal access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services in Ethiopia.

USAID is devoted to the health, welfare, and prosperous future of the people of Ethiopia. In 2022 alone, USAID invested more than $1.8 billion across the country in humanitarian and development aid.  These projects are another example of cooperation between the American people and the people of Ethiopia.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia.