Strengthening Sector Coordination: Federation Establishment & Proclamation No. 228/2020
### Broad Regional Participation of 45+ Experts
More than **45 high-level water sector professionals, municipal utility general managers, chief electro-mechanical engineers, finance heads, and IT billing specialists** representing utilities across all zones of Oromia participated actively throughout the multi-day working sessions.
### Official Keynote Opening by Director Ms. Mulu Hika (OWEB)
The workshop commenced with a keynote opening address by Ms. Mulu Hika, Director at the Oromia Water and Energy Bureau (OWEB). Director Mulu Hika underscored the government's priority under Proclamation No. 228/2020 to modernize water service delivery, eradicate billing inaccuracies and non-revenue water losses, and enforce standardized procurement frameworks across all 250+ member utilities.
### Operational Keynote by Board Manager Eng. Dhaba Ararsa
Federation Board Manager and General Manager of Ambo Guder Water Supply and Sewerage Service Enterprise, Eng. Dhaba Ararsa, delivered a strategic operational address on utility governance. Eng. Dhaba articulated the operational realities of town water utilities and detailed how standardizing Bill of Quantities (BOQ) line items and billing software architectures eliminates vendor lock-in, reduces system deployment costs, and accelerates utility financial sustainability.
### Working Group Technical Deliberations & Final Resolutions
Divided into structured thematic working groups, the 45+ experts scrutinized technical specifications, tariff algorithms, automated meter reading (AMR) integrations, and data security standards. The workshop concluded with an executive closing session presiding over the synthesized outputs, officially endorsing the standardized BOQ package for regional rollout.
Event Media & Proceedings Gallery
Group Delegation: Over 45 Regional Water Utility General Managers, Lead Engineers, Finance Heads, and IT Specialists who participated in the BOQ Refinement Workshop in Adama.
Eng. Dhaba Ararsa, Board Manager of OPWSSSF & Manager of Ambo Guder Enterprise, delivering the Operational Keynote Address on Utility Billing Standardisation.
Opening Ceremony: Ms. Mulu Hika, Director at Oromia Water and Energy Bureau (OWEB), delivering the Keynote Opening Address.
Closing Ceremony: Executive Leadership Panel presiding over the final session and endorsing the standardized BOQ resolutions.
Workshop Presentation: Joint OWEB, OPWSSSF Federation & Adama Town Water Enterprise presentation screen.
