The United States Government through its Agency for International Development (USAID) has launched the Markets for Sanitation (M4S) project, a $31 million, five-year initiative that will improve access to sanitation and hygiene services across Ethiopia. The project focuses on reaching the most vulnerable populations, particularly women and girls. The USAID-funded M4S builds on the success of the USAID Transform WASH project, an eight-year, $47.5 million initiative that supported over 500 sanitation businesses and helped more than one million Ethiopians gain access to improved sanitation services. 

The new USAID M4S project will be implemented in Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, Sidama, Somali, South Ethiopia, Central Ethiopia, and Southwest Ethiopia. It aims to provide 5.4 million people with access to basic sanitation and enable 180,000 women and girls to access menstrual health and hygiene products. 

The USAID M4S will address long-standing challenges in Ethiopia’s sanitation and hygiene sector by promoting market-based solutions that drive sustainable and inclusive growth. By fostering a competitive sanitation market, the project seeks to ensure that sanitation products and services are both affordable and accessible to all, creating lasting economic and social benefits for communities. (Press Release)