Country Director | IRC Ethiopia
Lemessa Mekonta is the Country Director for IRC WASH Ethiopia based in Addis Ababa.
He has diversified and hands on experiences in different aspects of water resources, water supplies, and sanitation working for government, private businesses and NGOs in various capacities ranging from expert to managerial level. Key areas of his experiences include program strategy development, partnership facilitation and coordination with different actors, project management, provision of trainings on water supplies, study and design for rural and urban water supplies, urban water utility management, water quality monitoring, leading action research including rural water supply operation and maintenance with appropriate technology identification and use, and private service providers engagement.
Lemessa is a hydrogeologist by background with over 23 years' experience in water and sanitation sector.
A contextual assessment of GESI in the WASH sector based on a review of national policies, strategies, and implementation practices in Ethiopia. Read more...
Successful pathways secured uptake by government and had flexible programming. Read more...
What is currently working well and what needs to be urgently addressed for meaningful reporting on implementation and progress towards SDG 6 targets. Read more...
In this video from Sustainable WASH Systems partner IRC WASH, we learn about Learning Alliances and how they are building strong local systems in... Read more...
Reflections from district level WASH SDG master planning in Negelle Arsi and Shashamane, Ethiopia Read more...
Lessons learned and relevance for global and regional civil society organisation (CSO) networks active in the WASH sector. Read more...
A call to action for ministers of finance, with inspirational case studies and forward-looking sector perspectives. It is part of an initiative by... Read more...
Asset management, long-term planning and support to water service providers are important elements of service-delivery models. Read more...
Long-term strategic planning at the district level helps to identify improved service delivery models, system strengthening activities, financing... Read more...
Addressing inequalities by improving access to WASH services for vulnerable groups; introducing social water tariffs for the vulnerable; involving... Read more...
This working paper unpacks what is meant by the enabling environment for finance in WASH and presents real examples of how these bottlenecks are... Read more...
WASH Talk podcast on the creative solutions, which Dutch NGOs Simavi and Aqua for All are using in Africa. Read more...
A compilation of newspaper stories about the plight of the unserved in Uganda. Read more...
The theme of World Water Day 2016 - Water and Jobs - focused on how enough and the right quality of water can change workers' lives and livelihoods, and even transform societies and economies. Linked to this theme, the National Self Supply Task Force in collaboration with IRC, MWA, JICA, Water for... Read more...
An introduction to definitions and frameworks, monitoring and evaluation, and a research and learning agenda for WASH systems strengthening. Read more...
How a lack of integrated planning and management is contaminating the surface and groundwater of Dhaka city, Bangladesh. Read more...
How market-based solutions revolutionised sanitation in 30 districts in Ethiopia from 2017 to 2024, enhancing access to affordable WASH products and... Read more...
The transition from water trucking towards sustainable, utility-led water service models for long-term refugee populations. Read more...
