[WLRC, Nov. 2024] – The Water and Land Resource Center (WLRC), together with the Ministry of Water and Energy, Basin Administration Offices of the Abbay, Awash, Omo-Gibe, Rift Valley Lakes and Tekeze basins and other stakeholders in IWRM held Basin Management Support for Resilient Inclusive Growth and Harmonized Transformation for National IWRM Program (BRIGHT) Project activity Co-planning and Team-building workshop, November 25-27, 2024, at Haile Grand Hotel, Addis Ababa.
The WLRC Director General Dr. Gete Zeleke in his welcoming remarks underscored the significance of the workshop in harnessing efforts towards meeting the BRIGHT Project’s objectives. He emphasized the importance of stakeholder-driven activity co-planning to vitalise joint action and creating strong sense of ownership of tasks and outputs, stating, “This workshop is essential for consolidating inputs from diverse partners and shaping the project’s 2025 Annual Plan. It’s about setting clear priorities, fostering teamwork, and ensuring collective action and ownership of the project undertakings that will drive impactful change.”
First Secretary the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN) in Addis Ababa Mr. Jelmer Van Veen in his keynote address highlighted the Netherlands’ longstanding partnership and development cooperation with Ethiopia, noting that the BRIGHT Project serves as a flagship initiative in this collaboration. “As we approach 2025, our development cooperation with Ethiopia is at its peak, with unprecedented investments and projects. BRIGHT exemplifies the shared commitment of the EKN and the EU to help tackle challenges in water management, improve Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), and ensure water security in Ethiopia,” said Mr. Jelmer.
Lead Executive Director for the National IWRM Programme and the MoWE State Minister’s delegate Mr. Debebe Deferso, stressed the strategic importance of integrating efforts and leveraging expertise under the ministry’s umbrella. He described BRIGHT as a landmark initiative, not only for its scale and comprehensive work packages but also for its potential to transform water security and strengthen Ethiopia’s water sector. He expressed the ministry anticipates that WLRC’s extensive experience in water management will play a pivotal role in achieving NIWRMP’s goals.
During the workshop, Dr. Gete presented the project’s inception report, detailing the milestones achieved since the grant was initiated early 2023 and the iterative processes involved in the progress into the Inception. Then, thematic leads of the Project presented the draft action plans as starting materials for joint co-planning. With that foreword, the Workshop participants joined their respective thematic groups, formed task groups and refined and co-planned activities for Dec 2024 and 2015. The stakeholders and partners affirmed their commitment to co-implement the BRIGHT project co-planned activities, and presented the group reports in the plenary.
The workshop also showcased the inclusion of women in leadership and technical roles, reflecting a commitment to gender equality in water resource management to drive sustainable and equitable outcomes across Ethiopia’s major basins. Dr. Gete Zeleke and Mr. Debebe Deferso shared to the participants their reflections, concluding remarks and calls to join hands in implementing the project successfully.
The event brought together over 110 stakeholders from MoWE, BAOs, regional Bureaus of Water and Energy, and other key partners to align priorities and foster collaboration for the effective implementation of Ethiopia’s Integrated Water Resource Management Programme (IWRMP).