Eng. Aklilu Yonas

Professional Summary

Eng. Aklilu Yonas is a distinguished Ethiopian Senior Civil Engineer and Resident Engineer with more than three decades of leadership in water supply, wastewater, sanitation, irrigation and major civil-infrastructure development. He has served as Resident Engineer, Acting Resident Engineer, Deputy Team Leader, Team Leader, Project Coordinator and Senior Monitoring Engineer on some of Ethiopia's most important urban water and sanitation programmes. His experience encompasses World Bank, EIB, EU, AfDB, UNICEF, AFD and AICS-funded projects with values reaching more than EUR 100 million. He brings exceptional strength in FIDIC contract administration, IPC certification, claims and variation management, cost control, QA/QC, HSE and ESMP compliance, hydraulic modelling and multidisciplinary-team leadership. He has supervised hundreds of kilometres of water and sewer pipelines, deep wells, reservoirs, pumping stations, booster stations, treatment facilities, dams, irrigation systems and associated civil works. His career reflects a lifelong commitment to dependable engineering, accountable infrastructure delivery, national development, community resilience, water security and improved sanitation services.

Key Expertise

Major Projects and Contributions

• Addis Ababa Eastern Wastewater Project — Assistant Resident Engineer and Acting Resident Engineer
  Since June 2023, serves with Nicholas O'Dwyer in joint venture with MS Consultancy on the approximately USD 30 million World Bank-funded Addis Ababa Eastern Wastewater Project. Supervises more than 40 kilometres of primary, secondary and tertiary sewer networks ranging from approximately 160 to 1,800 millimetres in diameter. Supports the Engineer's role under FIDIC, manages IPCs, variation orders, claims, site instructions and RFIs, leads more than 25 multidisciplinary professionals and ensures QA/QC, HSE, programme monitoring, design review and progress-reporting compliance.
• 48-Town Water Supply Programme — Senior Monitoring Engineer
  Served from June 2021 to June 2023 with Posch & Partners Consulting Engineers GmbH on a programme valued at more than EUR 100 million. Oversaw water-supply implementation across 48 Ethiopian towns under the EIB, AFD and AICS basket fund. Conducted inspections and technical reviews of pipelines, reservoirs, boreholes, booster stations, elevated tanks and distribution networks while advising on quality, contract compliance, cost control, variation minimisation and implementation-delay reduction.
• 15-Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project — Deputy Team Leader and Resident Engineer
  Served from September 2014 to June 2018 with MS Consultancy in joint venture with Nicholas O'Dwyer on the approximately EUR 37 million EU and EIB-funded programme. Supervised approximately 146 kilometres of pipelines, reservoirs, pumping stations, boreholes, elevated reservoirs and access roads. Led more than 40 professionals across multiple sites, administered FIDIC contracts, certified IPCs, controlled claims and variations, enforced QA/QC, HSE and environmental safeguards and performed hydraulic modelling using WaterCAD and WaterGEMS.
• Harar Citywide Inclusive Sanitation Project — Team Leader
  Led the Harar Citywide Inclusive Sanitation project from July 2018 to October 2020 with MS Consultancy. Directed detailed design and preparation of bidding documents for urban water, wastewater and sanitation infrastructure, supporting practical and inclusive service improvements for Harar City.
• Jimma Citywide Inclusive Sanitation Project — Project Coordinator
  Coordinated the Jimma Citywide Inclusive Sanitation project from November 2020 to June 2021. Managed feasibility studies, detailed design activities and implementation planning for liquid-waste management, sanitation and water-supply systems.
• Addis Ababa Water Supply Phase IIIA and Phase IIIB — Resident Engineer
  Served as Resident Engineer from September 2009 to September 2014 on the approximately USD 59 million Addis Ababa Water Supply Phase IIIA and IIIB programme. Supervised approximately 42 kilometres of transmission pipelines, 25 deep wells producing about 78,000 cubic metres per day and reservoirs with capacities reaching 10,000 cubic metres. Acted as the Engineer's Representative under FIDIC, managed IPCs, claims, variations, design reviews and progress reporting, led more than 30 staff and maintained strict control over quality, schedule and project cost.
• Urban Water-Supply Infrastructure Projects Across Ethiopia — Resident and Site Engineer
  From September 1999 to September 2009, supervised major water-supply construction assignments with the Water Works Design and Supervision Enterprise and the Ministry of Water Resources. His assignments included Hargele, Dessie, Gambella, Sebeta and Gonder and covered transmission pipelines, distribution networks, reservoirs, pumping stations, treatment plants, quality control, construction safety and contract administration.
• Major Dam and Irrigation Projects — Gidado and Megech
  Contributed as Resident Engineer to major dam and irrigation assignments including the Gidado and Megech projects. Supervised dam-related civil works, hydraulic structures, spillways and irrigation systems while managing technical teams and maintaining required cost, quality and construction-compliance standards.