In the recent past, there has been a growing realization that effective systems of asset management can strengthen the performance of a local economy and community significantly. Such a governance perspective has been complemented by the development of new and interactive technologies for recording and communicating assets and asset management. Until recently, measuring the uptake of such technologies and subsequently the associated transformation in asset management practice has been difficult. This analysis attempts to appraise the extent to which such new technologies have made and can potentially make a difference in the management of water infrastructure assets of urban Ethiopia. It adopts the Capacity, Utilization and Transformation (CUT) framework proposed by the Economic Commission of Africa. Such a framework was found to be a credible tool in taking stock of technological achievements and deficiencies that characterize any municipal asset management programme. Empirical evidence was gathered from a Delphi study that pooled together expert opinion from 61 officials drawn from Ethiopia's water sector. In addition, case study material from several Ethiopian towns and cities was utilized to complement the analysis. The pooling together of data from such independent samples was achieved through a Comparatives Studies framework that utilized the concept of meta analysis. Results indicate that, Ethiopia's urban water sector has gone through a number of reforms that have not benefited immensely from new and interactive technologies for effective municipal asset management. The current asset management plan that characterize the majority of towns and cities can be dismissed as one of constrained capacity, utilization and transformation. Lack of financial resources, technical expertise and appropriate organizational strategy has constrained the adoption and application of system software for effective asset management in many towns and cities. The analysis also reveals that the relationship between new GIS based asset management technologies and improved asset management is not spontaneous. It needs to be worked out and nutured through the lifecycle of the asset mangement programme. An appropriate organizational strategy that would translate into organizational value and subsequently into the much needed organizational change is indispensible in this respect.
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