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.
Successful pathways secured uptake by government and had flexible programming. 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...
Asset management, long-term planning and support to water service providers are important elements of service-delivery models. 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...
The 2026 Symposium in Kigali may be the beginning that the Africa Water Vision 2063 requires. Read more...
Unlocking financial support and political will Read more...
Bringing people together in a joint regional forum in Amhara, Ethiopia Read more...
IRC, a dynamic think-and-do tank, is dedicated to propelling the advancement of enhanced, inclusive, and sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services worldwide. Our global reach extends across nations, regions, and communities, fostering collaboration with governmental bodies, civil... Read more...
IRC Ethiopia's vision and strategy, and the organisational changes and business development measures required to implement the strategic plan. Read more...
Pour changer les systèmes, il faut un «Conteur, un Expert et un Homme Politique». Histoires d'acteurs du changement au Malawi, au Honduras, en... Read more...
Para cambiar los sistemas se necesita un "narrador de historias, un experto y un político". Historias de agentes de cambio en Malawi, Honduras,... Read more...
It takes a 'Story Teller, an Expert, and a Politician' to make systems change happen. Stories from change makers in Malawi, Honduras, Uganda,... Read more...
Accelerating the application of WASH systems concepts and approaches Read more...
This study confirms the high relevance of payment modalities that reduce the barrier of the upfront payment to get access to a water supply service... Read more...
Ministry of Water and Energy (Ethiopia), COWASH, SNV and IRC reflecting on partnership work in Ethiopia Read more...
Training of trainers to spread knowledge and skill Read more...
Recommendations on coordination of initiatives and professionalisation of rural water supply maintenance. Read more...
Three factors – legitimacy of the collaborative, aligning activities within clear mandates, and demonstrating value – all work together to secure... Read more...
Testing approaches to strengthen the sustainability and performance of WASH service delivery systems. Read more...
