<p>Groundwater is an important natural resource, supporting domestic, agricultural, and industrial uses in many regions, particularly where surface water is limited in quality and quantity. However, information on the sustainability of groundwater use, and its recharge rate is often limited. This research focuses on groundwater potential and recharge in the headwater region of the Blue Nile River Basin, in Kemkem District, located near Lake Tana, Ethiopia’s largest freshwater lake. The study utilizes geology, land use, soil, elevation, slope, drainage, and rainfall data, together with GIS and remote sensing techniques to create groundwater potential and recharge zone maps. Analytical hierarchical process (AHP) and multi-criteria decision analysis methods were employed to conduct an evaluation and to create maps. ArcGIS zonal statistics identified the major and minor influence of each parameter class on groundwater potential and recharge zones. These zones were categorized as low, moderate, and high potential. Results show 5.7, 83.2, and 11.1% of the study area had low, moderate, and high groundwater potential, respectively. Similarly, 5.4, 84.7, and 9.9% of the study area were classified within low, moderate, and high groundwater recharge zones. The groundwater potential predictions were validated using existing groundwater potential data collected from boreholes, hand dug wells and springs in the area, achieving an accuracy of near 70%. Identifying these zones is crucial for sustainable groundwater management and resource conservation by providing valuable insights for planning and decision-making.</p>