Bahir Dar Institute of Technology Organizes IrrEO Ethiopia International Workshop: Co-Designing the Future of Irrigation in Ethiopia
Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar University, successfully convened the IrrEO Ethiopia Stakeholder Workshop from April 30 to May 1, 2026, at Addis Ababa. The event brought together prominent national and international stakeholders to collaboratively co-design data-driven solutions for advancing irrigation development in Ethiopia.
The workshop forms an integral part of the "IrrEO: Irrigation Mapping Tool Development and Deployment" project, which is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through the University of Manchester. The project aims to leverage Earth Observation (EO) and Machine Learning approaches integrating with field data to enhance the planning, monitoring, and management of irrigation systems across the country.
Attendees included representatives from key federal institutions, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Irrigation and Lowlands, and Ministry of Water and Energy, regional bureaus, research institutes, academic organizations, NGOs, development partners, and private sector entities.
Discussions focused on major challenges, such as data constraints, gaps in institutional coordination, and systemic inefficiencies, while underscoring the transformative potential of EO technologies to empower scalable, evidence-based decision-making. Through interactive sessions, participants actively contributed to the development of a shared roadmap for establishing a sustainable national irrigation data platform.
This collaborative initiative represents a significant step toward strengthening agricultural productivity, ensuring food security, and building climate resilience in Ethiopia.
In their remarks, senior officials of Bahir Dar Institute of Technology highlighted the strategic importance of the initiative. Dr. Mitiku Damtie, Scientific Director of Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, emphasized that the institute’s strong commitment to quality and innovation directly underpins the IrrEO Project, which leverages the latest advances in Earth Observation technology to enable more efficient, resilient, and sustainable irrigation management. He further underscored that scientific progress is achieved when disciplines intersect and when institutions collaborate across borders to address real-world challenges in agriculture and climate resilience.
Dr. Amare Kassaw, Deputy Scientific Director, reaffirmed the institute’s commitment to supporting such initiatives with strong national relevance, noting that continued multi-stakeholder collaboration is essential to achieving meaningful and sustainable outcomes.
Similarly, Dr. Asegdew Gashaw, Dean of the Faculty of Civil and Water Resources Engineering, described the IrrEO project as a transformative milestone for the institute, serving as a catalyst for both academic excellence and national development. He further highlighted that by leveraging advanced mapping technologies, the project addresses critical data gaps on irrigation performance, which are essential for improving water productivity and ensuring food security. He also underscored the importance of the partnership with the University of Manchester in fostering international collaboration and providing a strong research platform for PhD students to develop practical, data-driven solutions.
#IrrEO #BahirDarUniversity #University of Manchester #Irrigation #EarthObservation #MachineLearning #FoodSecurity #ClimateResilience
Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar University, successfully convened the IrrEO Ethiopia Stakeholder Workshop from April 30 to May 1, 2026, at Addis Ababa. The event brought together prominent national and international stakeholders to collaboratively co-design data-driven solutions for advancing irrigation development in Ethiopia.
The workshop forms an integral part of the "IrrEO: Irrigation Mapping Tool Development and Deployment" project, which is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through the University of Manchester. The project aims to leverage Earth Observation (EO) and Machine Learning approaches integrating with field data to enhance the planning, monitoring, and management of irrigation systems across the country.
Attendees included representatives from key federal institutions, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Irrigation and Lowlands, and Ministry of Water and Energy, regional bureaus, research institutes, academic organizations, NGOs, development partners, and private sector entities.
Discussions focused on major challenges, such as data constraints, gaps in institutional coordination, and systemic inefficiencies, while underscoring the transformative potential of EO technologies to empower scalable, evidence-based decision-making. Through interactive sessions, participants actively contributed to the development of a shared roadmap for establishing a sustainable national irrigation data platform.
This collaborative initiative represents a significant step toward strengthening agricultural productivity, ensuring food security, and building climate resilience in Ethiopia.
In their remarks, senior officials of Bahir Dar Institute of Technology highlighted the strategic importance of the initiative. Dr. Mitiku Damtie, Scientific Director of Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, emphasized that the institute’s strong commitment to quality and innovation directly underpins the IrrEO Project, which leverages the latest advances in Earth Observation technology to enable more efficient, resilient, and sustainable irrigation management. He further underscored that scientific progress is achieved when disciplines intersect and when institutions collaborate across borders to address real-world challenges in agriculture and climate resilience.
Dr. Amare Kassaw, Deputy Scientific Director, reaffirmed the institute’s commitment to supporting such initiatives with strong national relevance, noting that continued multi-stakeholder collaboration is essential to achieving meaningful and sustainable outcomes.
Similarly, Dr. Asegdew Gashaw, Dean of the Faculty of Civil and Water Resources Engineering, described the IrrEO project as a transformative milestone for the institute, serving as a catalyst for both academic excellence and national development. He further highlighted that by leveraging advanced mapping technologies, the project addresses critical data gaps on irrigation performance, which are essential for improving water productivity and ensuring food security. He also underscored the importance of the partnership with the University of Manchester in fostering international collaboration and providing a strong research platform for PhD students to develop practical, data-driven solutions.
#IrrEO #BahirDarUniversity #University of Manchester #Irrigation #EarthObservation #MachineLearning #FoodSecurity #ClimateResilience
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