Dr Abraha Adugna Appointed NBI Deputy Executive Director
The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) has appointed Ethiopian national Dr Abraha Adugna Ashenafi as Deputy Executive Director and Head of the Basin-wide Programme, effective 1 May 2025.
Dr Abraha brings over 33 years of international experience in water resources development, planning, and management. His expertise encompasses groundwater investigation, hydrogeological mapping, river basin monitoring, resource mobilization, and project management at both national and regional levels.
Prior to his appointment, Dr Abraha served as State Minister at Ethiopia’s Ministry of Water and Energy. While there, he led a range of programmes in the water resource management sector, including the National Integrated Water Resources Programme, the Horn of Africa Groundwater for Resilience Project, and the Ethiopian Flood Management Project.
In his role as chair of the water and energy resource management and development working group of development partners working at basin-wide level, since 2018, Dr Abraha worked closely with major international partners including the World Bank, African Development Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).
Dr Abraha holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Hydraulic Engineering from Arba Minch University in Ethiopia, a Master’s in Water Science and Engineering with a specialisation in hydro informatics, and a PhD in Hydrology and Climate from the Free University of Berlin, Germany. He has published extensively on climate change, flood forecasting, and hydrological monitoring.
Speaking at a graceful handover ceremony held at the NBI Secretariat in Entebbe, Uganda, on Friday, 2 May 2025, Dr Abraha said: "I am deeply grateful for the confidence placed in me to take on this new responsibility, and I look forward to contributing to the team’s success".
NBI Executive Director, Dr Florence Grace Adongo, welcomed Dr Abraha and paid tribute to outgoing Deputy Executive Director Dr Michael Kizza. She thanked Dr Michael for his "strong leadership, hard work, and great contribution to NBI" over the past seven years.
“Dr Michael was a young leader who maintained a calm and cheerful demeanour, even under pressure,” Dr Florence said. “His expertise will continue to benefit the NBI, and he will remain a strong ambassador for our Shared Vision Objective.
Dr Michael, who took up the DED role in 2021, expressed gratitude for the support of Executive Directors he worked with, NBI staff, development partners, the Nile Basin Discourse, and the host country, Uganda.
Dr Callist Tindimugaya, the chairperson of the Nile Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), warmly welcomed Dr Abraha, and called on partners to support him. “The TAC is confident that you will succeed in your new role and bring innovation to strengthen the NBI,” he said, noting that Dr Abraha joins at a critical time as the organisation transitions towards the Nile River Basin Commission.
The handover ceremony was attended by staff from the Secretariat alongside representatives of the Nile Basin Discourse and Global Water Partnership Eastern Africa, an organization NBI hosts at its Secretariat. Dr Florence thanked them for their unwavering support for the NBI’s Shared Vision Objective and its 10-year strategy (2017–2027).