Professional Summary
Bacha Kitesa is a senior WASH market systems development, MEAL and programme management professional based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with more than 14 years of progressive leadership experience in international development, humanitarian programming, public health, environmental health and WASH market strengthening across Ethiopia and East Africa. His career combines strategic programme leadership, private-sector engagement, market-based sanitation, WASH financing, governance partnerships, evidence generation and multi-million-dollar donor-funded portfolio management. He has managed and supported major portfolios with organizations including Aqua for All, PSI Ethiopia, Sheger Entrepreneurship Association, Plan International Ethiopia and World Vision Ethiopia. His work includes multi-country WASH market development across Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda; leadership of MEAL systems and real-time dashboards; management of major USAID-supported WASH and market-systems portfolios; institutionalization of market-based sanitation into government systems; development of business development service guidelines; private-sector and MFI financing mechanisms; integrated WASH, nutrition and ASRH programming; urban sanitation and waste management partnerships; and emergency humanitarian responses. He brings strong value to AquaLinked / Water for Africa Experts because his expertise connects WASH service delivery with market transformation, private finance, policy dialogue, accountability systems, inclusive development, climate resilience and sustainable SDG 6 solutions.
Key Expertise
Major Projects and Contributions
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Aqua for All – Program Manager, Market Systems Development, East Africa
Manages and provides strategic oversight to a multi-country WASH market development portfolio across Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda, focusing on market-based interventions, access to finance, bankable pipelines, SME support, results-based financing and technical assistance for sustainable WASH market growth. -
Multi-Country WASH Market Development and SDG 6 Financing
Supports the transformation of WASH from a donor-dependent sector into a stronger market system by advancing commercially viable safe water and sanitation solutions, blended finance models, private capital mobilization and scalable approaches that contribute to SDG 6 across Africa and the Global South. -
Sheger Entrepreneurship Association – MEL Team Leader
Designed and led the organization’s monitoring, evaluation and learning framework, including real-time performance tracking, baseline, midline and endline studies, dashboards, analytical reports, learning events, donor compliance reporting and adaptive management systems. -
Loan Portfolio Monitoring, Risk Management and Organizational Learning
Monitored loan portfolio performance, repayment rates, non-performing loans and portfolio-at-risk, coordinating recovery actions and using MEL evidence to strengthen transparency, accountability, risk mitigation and future programme design. -
PSI Ethiopia – Director, Market Systems Development
Led national programme strategy, policy engagement and implementation for a major WASH market systems portfolio, providing policy-relevant research, managing multi-stakeholder coordination platforms, ensuring compliance and supporting institutionalization into government systems. -
PSI Ethiopia – USAID-Supported WASH Market and Capacity Development
Led business capacity development and programme performance management under a major USAID-supported WASH portfolio, overseeing national strategy implementation, MEAL systems, research for policy development, governance partnerships, financial tracking and stakeholder capacity building. -
Institutionalization of Market-Based Sanitation into Government Systems
Contributed to the institutionalization of market-based sanitation into national systems, development of national business development service guidelines, establishment of sanitation market working groups and integration of WASH manufacturing skills into the national TVET curriculum. -
Innovative WASH Financing and Private Sector Engagement
Supported financing innovations for WASH enterprises through microfinance institutions, village savings and loan associations, smart subsidies and private-sector partnerships, helping improve sanitation affordability and strengthen WASH supply chains. -
National Business Capacity Development and Stakeholder Training
Built the capacity of more than 1,500 stakeholders in market-based WASH approaches, supported formal agreements with government institutions, influenced policy dialogue and strengthened national-level systems for private-sector participation in WASH. -
Plan International Ethiopia – Integrated WASH, Nutrition and ASRH Programming
Managed integrated WASH, nutrition and adolescent sexual and reproductive health programming, ensuring compliance, partner communication, monitoring, infrastructure oversight, community capacity building and functional management committees for sustainability. -
World Vision Ethiopia – Urban Sanitation and Emergency Response
Managed urban service delivery and emergency response programming, including DFID/UNICEF-supported initiatives, urgent outbreak response coordination, capacity-building plans for government and service providers, and sustainable partnerships for waste management services. -
Open Defecation Free and Community-Led WASH Results
Supported community-level WASH and sanitation results, including contribution to the certification of more than 68 kebeles as Open Defecation Free and support to community capacity building, emergency humanitarian assistance and quality assurance. -
WASH Infrastructure and Community Service Delivery
Supported construction and service-delivery interventions including shallow wells, deep wells, water points, WASH committees, school WASH clubs and menstrual hygiene management improvements in schools and communities. -
Research, Evidence Generation and Sector Knowledge Products
Contributed to national studies on inclusive financial approaches and institutional capacity gaps in the WASH sector, co-authored publications on menstrual hygiene management and exclusive breastfeeding, and supported endline assessment work for integrated nutrition, WASH and child protection response.