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Metito and BII partner to create firm focused on water infrastructure in Africa

  • Metito and BII partner to create firm focused on water infrastructure in Africa

About the entity

Metito, a global leader and provider of choice for sustainable water management solutions, and British International Investment (BII), the UK’s development finance institution and impact investor, announced the launch of their new company Africa Water Infrastructure Development “AWID”, reports Middle East Utilities.

The firm is an avant-garde platform dedicated to develop climate-smart water projects at scale and to increase water security across the African continent.

AWID will develop and build facilities that will help to increase access to sustainable, safe and reliable water with a clear focus on countries that are most vulnerable to climate change. The platform will also finance water and wastewater management treatment plants.

Moreover, AWID will exemplify a viable commercial model for water infrastructure and provision in Africa, helping to mobilise long-term investment into the sector.

The new firm will specialize in its investments in green technologies and alternative energy components, with the aim to help reduce the environmental footprint of water infrastructure projects.

The firm is an avant-garde platform dedicated to develop climate-smart water projects at scale and to increase water security across Africa

The company’s first asset is an operational bulk surface water treatment plant in Kigali-Rwanda. The 40,000 cubic meters per day plant is currently providing over 25 per cent of the city’s potable water supply, meeting the needs of 500,000 domestic, commercial, and industrial consumers. The Kigali water treatment plant is a public-private partnership (PPP), which is the first of its type under this business model in sub-Saharan Africa (outside of South Africa).

Andrew Mitchell, UK Minister for Development and Africa said: “The climate emergency has made water insecurity a major development challenge in Africa. BII’s partnership with Metito to launch the AWID platform, signals the UK’s continuing commitment to increase development and climate partnerships and financing to help the most vulnerable people and countries impacted by climate change.”

Rami Ghandour, Managing Director of Metito added: “As Africa undergoes rapid urbanisation, there is a pressing demand for water infrastructure. Such projects are particularly capital intensive. An increasing funding gap requires mobilising sustainable investments into the sector. Our partnership with BII will leverage our high-value engineering and use of innovative technologies with access to unrivalled financial resources and support.”

Chris Chijiutomi, MD and Head of Africa at BII also commented: “Our partnership with Metito is part of BII’s strategy to improve development outcomes by investing in water, sanitation and hygiene. AWID will demonstrate to other investors, governments and operators that private investment can deliver operationally efficient and high-impact water infrastructure projects at scale, that have the potential to drive transformative and sustainable impact in Africa.”

Morgan Landy, Global Director for Infrastructure at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) said: “Investing in water infrastructure is a strategic priority for IFC in Africa and we are working with the private sector to close the funding gap in this critical sector. As a long-standing Metito shareholder, IFC is proud to witness the launch of this new Africa-focused platform that will invest in climate-smart water projects, further promoting economic growth and building a more water-secure Africa.”

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), water stress is major challenge across Africa. Long-lasting droughts and devastating floods are hitting African communities, economies and ecosystems hard.

High water stress is estimated to affect about 250 million people in Africa. Four out of five African countries are unlikely to have sustainably managed water resources by 2030. 

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