Addis Ababa, Tuesday, March 21, 2023 – Power for All organized a collaborative meeting among advocates of the Productive Use of Renewable Energy (PURE) at the Ministry of Irrigation and Lowlands (MILLs) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The meeting aimed to bring together development and implementing partners and foundations working within the PURE space, to join forces on addressing obstructs and capacity needs to activate the PURE market potential in Ethiopia.

By providing reliable energy sources, PURE interventions can support economic development and help lift people out of impoverishment and #endenergypovertyfaster. However, implementing PURE interventions can be challenging. There are often significant logistical and technical challenges, as well as challenges related to financing and capacity building. This is why collaboration between development partners, implementing partners, and the government is critical for the success of PURE initiatives.

MILLs has demonstrated how Ethiopian agriculture has been heavily reliant on low levels of technology and diesel-powered pumps for irrigation, resulting in various drawbacks including, but not limited to, high costs, volatility, unavailability of diesel, low productivity, food insecurity, pollution all which lead to the lack of access to water for irrigation. During his presentation, Hizkyas Dufera, Senior Advisor to the Minister presented the ongoing development of the National Irrigation Strategy (NIS) and announced the Ministry’s plan to expand its solar-powered cold storage facilities and hydroponics initiatives.

The ministry is taking steps towards promoting PURE in Ethiopia by expanding existing plans and collaborating with private sector entities. This is an important step because renewable energy has the potential to enhance agricultural practices in Ethiopia by boosting efficiency and sustainability. By leveraging renewable energy to power agriculture, Ethiopia will reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and subsequently contribute to global efforts aimed at tackling climate change. The involvement of senior representatives from the Ministry is a positive development and underscores the importance of collaboration between the private and public sectors in the success of PURE.

Moreover, attendants from the private sector presented their initiatives and ongoing projects that specifically highlight tackling several of the aforementioned challenges.

Overall, several key topics were discussed, such as addressing capacity gaps, carbon markets, securing financing, creating awareness, and enhancing agricultural market linkages. The meeting also aimed to identify strategies and potential collaborations to activate the PURE space in Ethiopia and promote the use of renewable energy resources in agriculture and how it can lead to increased productivity and profitability for farmers.

Tesfaye Hailu, Country Director for Power for All in Ethiopia, concluded the meeting with an announcement that Power for All will soon issue a Call for Action inviting private actors, partners, and financiers to participate.

officials from the Ministry H.E. . Aisha Mohammed Mussa, H.E. Dr. Birhanu M Lenjiso , Hizkyas Dufera , Mr. Saroj Kumar Jha (Global Director for WorldBank Group’s Water Global Practice) along with other WB delegates convened a meeting to explore strategies to enhance MILLs operations and have agreed to develop an #irrigation focused country program.

We are grateful for our continued partnership.

The Regional government of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ in Wolaita Zone initiated the Weybo Irrigation Development project in November 2021 G.C., aimed at harnessing the potential of the Weybo River for agricultural purposes. The project started with an estimated cost of 2.44 Billion Ethiopian Birr and is currently underway. Once completed, the irrigation system will cover an area of 3,429 hectares, providing ample opportunities for farming and cultivation.

This project is located in the Wolaita Zone Administration. The dam is being constructed in the Boloso Sore Woreda with the Irrigation Infrastructure spanning across the Boloso Sore Woreda and Boloso Bombie Woreda. The project is expected to have an astonishing impact; directly or indirectly benefiting more than 12,000 farmers located in 4(Four) Kebeles in the Boloso  Sore and 7(Seven) Kebeles in Boloso Bombie areas.

The dam measures 660 meters in length and 32.7 meters  in height, and cascades water over an area of 640hectares which is expected to foster fish production and serve as a significant draw for tourism.

Upon its full completion, the project will be capable of holding 60 million cubic meters of water.  By the end of March 2021 G.C., 11.3% of the project has been completed.

This project faces several challenges including over exaggerated compensations, payment delays, and limited capacity of contractors and consulting firms. To address these issues, there have been repeated discussions with the concerned stakeholders to find solutions.

This project is divided into two lots; Lot I (Construction of Dam and Related Structures) which is carried out by South Water Works Construction Enterprise, and Lot II (Construction of Irrigation Land) which is being carried out through a joint venture between Cross Land Construction  PLC and Oromia Construction Corporation.

The supervising engineer overseeing this project is South Design and Construction Supervision Enterprise.