Under the ownership of the Ministry of Irrigation and Lowlands (MILLs), the construction of the 5.5 Billion Ethiopian Birr Irrigation Development project is underway in the Raitu and Ginir Woredas of Eastern Bale Zone in the Oromia Region. Upon completion, the project will cover an area of 4,146 hectares and will significantly benefit  more than  9,000 pastoralists and semi-pastoralists.

Located at the border of Raitu and Ginir, the Chelchel river (a tributary of the Weyib River) is the site of the Chelchel Dam Construction Project. The Irrigation Development System will be located in Raitu Woreda. The Chelchel Dam will span across 46.5meters high and 681 meters long with a staggering capacity of 50 million cubic meters of water, covering an area of 341.8 hectares. Furthermore, the water will recede up to a distance of 1.5km.

Upon its completion, Raitu Woreda will be able to harvest crops such as maize,  wheat, millet, papaya, banana, onions, and tomatoes twice or three times a year.

The construction of The Dam and Irrigation Development will primarily involve the construction of a 47.5km main canal, which will be followed by the construction of the left and right sections spanning 21.5km and 22.6km respectively. Moreover, a 35.3km second canal and a third canal covering a distance of 168km will be built.

This project has been divided into two lots: Although the first contractor who was in charge of Lot I terminated their contract, in their place, Alemayehu Ketema General Contractor entered into a contract. They have since taken over and are currently mobilizing the necessary resources, machinery, and manpower to resume the work. As for Lot II, Oromia Construction Corporation (whose contract was renewed twice) is in charge and could face difficulties completing the project on schedule if it doesn’t deploy the required machinery promptly.

By the end of March in the current Ethiopian fiscal year, the construction of the project has reached 13.8% in Lot I and 74.75% in Lot II.

A total of 509 citizens, comprising 430 men and 79 women, were employed on a temporary and permanent basis as part of the project. The project has faced several challenges including capacity of sub-contractors, shortage of labor & shortage of machinery.  As a result, discussions were held with the concerned stakeholders to devise solutions in order to address these challenges.

The project commenced in December 2012 (E.C.) and is scheduled for completion by the end of the 2018 Ethiopian Fiscal Year.

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.