Arba Minch University (AMU) hosted a high-level progress review meeting for the Sustainable Land Management (SLM-V) Lake Chamo Project, a major KfW-funded initiative targeting the restoration of the Lake Chamo watershed across ten woredas. The meeting, held on November 25, 2025, gathered senior representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), regional experts, AMU researchers, and implementing partners to evaluate achievements, challenges, and strategic priorities. Click here to see more photos.
Dr. Ing. Abdella Kemal, AMU President, welcoming the gathering, framed the meeting’s purpose and emphasized the project’s national importance. Dr. Ing. Abdella explained that the KfW-supported initiative aligns closely with AMU’s research-driven mission and represents a critical opportunity to mitigate land degradation affecting the iconic Rift Valley Lake Chamo. The growing land degradation pressures on the Lake Chamo basin have serious consequences for the lake’s ecosystem and its eco-tourism potential, he highlighted; and reaffirmed AMU’s commitment to delivering innovative, data-driven solutions. He further emphasized that the SLM-V project reflects AMU’s ongoing evolution into an autonomous research university leading national research in water and land management.
Dr. Fasil Eshetu, AMU-IUC Project Manager and AMU-KfW Project Coordinator, alongside Project Advisor Dr. Mesfin Tilahun, presented a detailed operational review during the executive overview session. The project, launched in April 2025 for an initial three-year period and which covers ecosystem baseline data collection from 22 micro-watersheds, is planned to continue under a three-phase extension.
Dr. Fasil highlighted strong progress in technical and financial reporting, outlined the methodology used for hydrometeorological station site selection including GIS mapping, drone reconnaissance, noting the successful site selection for the installation of six river gauging stations and automatic weather stations, which is key infrastructure for long-term watershed monitoring. Dr. Mesfin, on his side, also outlined the detailed methodology used for the biophysical and household survey and provided updates on ongoing survey activities and extensive data collection.
In the administrative session, Dr. Fasil also delivered a detailed financial status report, outlining expenditure trends, bank reconciliation processes, and adherence to donor compliance requirements. The review affirmed that the project remains financially on track, supported by strong internal controls and consistent observance of established financial and administrative standards.
Specialized technical teams delivered key component-specific updates that together form the backbone of the project’s integrated evidence base. The GIS Component, led by Mr. Yared Godine, provided an overview of the team’s structure, data collection system, and methodological procedures. The Household Socioeconomic Component, presented by Mr. Amanuel Shewa, reported steady progress, with surveys completed for 253 households and 339 plots across seven woredas, offering critical insights into community livelihoods and land-use patterns. Likewise, the Biophysical Component, presented by Mr. Mulugeta Kebebew, highlighted substantial progress in soil and vegetation assessments, with 75% of the planned data collection completed despite challenges posed by rugged terrain. Collectively, these updates underscore the project’s advancement toward building a comprehensive, GIS-integrated evidence base to guide targeted land rehabilitation interventions.
During the plenary session, Mr. Habtamu Hailu, SLM Project Manager at the Ministry of Agriculture, facilitated and offered participants opportunity to reflect on the project’s achievements, identify emerging challenges, and propose adaptive strategies. Mr. Habtamu praised and expressed his deep appreciation for AMU’s scientific leadership and the quality and depth of progress reports reinforcing confidence in the project’s trajectory, describing it as a “transformational step” for Ethiopia’s watershed management sector. He commended the reliability and rigor of AMU’s technical reporting and underscored the national significance of integrating sustainable land management practices into watershed landscapes.
Mr. Habtamu further highlighted that AMU’s application of hydrological and watershed ecosystem services impact monitoring and evaluation at a landscape scale is being implemented for the first time in the region, an accomplishment that marks a new benchmark in evidence-based land restoration. Emphasizing the importance of multi-sector collaboration, Mr. Habtamu affirmed that strong partnerships between national institutions, local universities, and development partners are essential for ensuring inclusivity and long-term sustainability.
Regional Coordinator Mr. Bogale Lencha commended the project’s comprehensive baseline data collection efforts while also expressing concern over the temporary exclusion of three woredas due to earlier security challenges reported by AMU. He noted that the security situation in these areas has now improved considerably and emphasized that AMU’s commitment to eventually integrating all targeted woredas, ensuring fully inclusive and comprehensive watershed management, which deserves close attention and continued support.
In his closing remarks, Dr. Teklu Wegayehu, Vice President for Research and Cooperation at AMU, highlighted the SLM-V project as one of the university’s eight largest among nearly 80 on-going initiatives. He emphasized its transformative contributions to institutional growth, academic capacity, and AMU’s expanding role in addressing national challenges. Dr. Teklu reaffirmed the project’s crucial importance in safeguarding Ethiopia’s fragile ecosystems and expressed confidence that AMU will deliver a comprehensive progress report by December 2025, underscoring the university’s continued scientific leadership.
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