HISTORY   

           

ECWC is governed by the Public Enterprises Proclamation No.25/1992. Its supervising authority is The Ministry of Public Enterprises and its policy-making body is the Board of the Corporation whose members are appointed by the government selected from different organizations. The headquarters of the corporation is located in the city of Addis Ababa, around Gurd Shola. It is head by a Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

The corporation is a result of the amalgamation of two formerly independent public enterprises, namely the Ethiopian Road Construction Corporation and the Ethiopian Water Works Construction Enterprise.

While it is a recent phenomenon, which is established on December 18/2015, its history part of the history of the above mentioned former enterprises and hence can be traced back to the late 1940s ane early 1950s.

At that time the Imperial Government of Ethiopia was convinced to establish a Road Agency solely responsible for rehabilitating/restoring and expanding the road network throughout the country. Accordingly, in 1951 the Imperial Highway Authority (IHA) was established to plan, design, construct, and maintain roads.

Government) “Hydrology section” was established, and became the second section in water sector.

This sector, like the road sector, re structured and re-established many times. For many years this water works construction sector undertaking construction of Dams, Irrigation and Drainage Networks; Water supply and sewerage networks; Construction of roads and buildings; Land Reclamation; sea ports and many other different activities.

Especially starting from 1994 38 potable water projects, 8 road construction projects, 13 dam and irrigation projects, 4 buildings and 6 different civil work construction projects have been constructed by the former of Ethiopian Water Works Construction enterprise.

The development of infrastructure has so far been given due emphasis along with the provision of utilities to the public. Increasing the road network of the country, provision of water and electricity to the public, construction of irrigation canals were among the priority areas in the government’s investment decision making during the last two decades or so.

The federal government of the Democratic Republic of Ethiopia has taken the initiative to establish developmental public enterprise to meet this growing demand. On the one hand, the establishment of this public enterprise has the objective of fostering the socio-economic development of the country and to filling the market gap in the development of these types of infrastructure. Teherefore the purposes for which the corporation is established are:

• To engage in domestic and overseas construction works as a contractor in construction, upgrading and maintenance of roads, bridges, works relating to dams, irrigations, hydropower generations, water supply systems, sewerage systems, drainage, deep water wells, reclamations, river diversions, construction of buildings, airfields, rail ways, ports and other civil works;
• To engage in the assembling of construction equipments and machineries, manufacturing spare parts and provide maintenance service for construction equipment and machinery and produce construction materials and different kinds of pipes necessary for its activities and sell them as may be appropriate;
• To acquire, own and administer irrigation dams, deep water wells and as may be necessary water supply canals constructed and to be constructed by the Federal Government budget and collect charges from the beneficiaries of such dams;
• To engage in the rental business of construction equipment, machinery, warehouse and buildings;
• To produce qualified human resource with required discipline, number and quality for the Corporation by using its own training facilities or work in co-ordination with relevant domestic or international research, educational and training institutions;
• To make studies and forward proposals in line with directions given by the Ministry of Public Enterprises to get financial, technological and modern administrative inputs (including attracting investment or to engage in investment) to be competitive and profitable in domestic and overseas works;
• To sell and pledge bonds and to negotiate and sign loan agreements with local and international financial sources in line with the directive issued by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Co-operation and in accordance with policy direction given by Ministry of Public Enterprises;

To undertake any other related activities necessary for the attainment of its purposes