The National Water and Sewerage Corporation coupled with Altereo, and the Global Fund for Cities Development (FMDV) with the support of Club FASEP members: Watura, Vinci Sogea Satom, Sainte Lizaigne, CityTaps, Lacroix Sofrel, Saint Gobain, Partenariat Français pour l’Eau, co-organized a 2-day hybrid meeting or rather workshop bringing together water utility providers, and development finance institutions to share inspiring practices on how urban water systems can overcome current demographic and climate challenges.
Altereo is a French engineering and IT company, operating in the water sector internationally, with recognized expertise and know-how in the fields of GIS, non-revenue water, and smart asset management. Altereo develops innovative solutions among which is HpO®, Altereo’s Artificial Intelligence system, which predicts water network failure risks in order to efficiently target network replacements and leak detection operations and drastically optimize water network performance both technically and financially.
Whereas; the Global Fund for Cities Development (FMDV) is a network of local governments dedicated to promoting financing solutions for urban development.
The workshop is an opportunity to: Engage with relevant stakeholders on key factors for scaling up innovations and green technologies for more resilient water systems, especially in terms of financing options, Discuss with water utility providers the replicability of green technology solutions to different territories and contexts in the East African Region and the stakeholders that should be involved, and, Open the conversation to private companies involved in the water value chain to identify opportunities for synergy.
The scope of the workshop necessitates; Presentation of the methodology put in place to adapt Altereo’s existing technology to NWSC’s requirements and needs, and feedback from NWSC. Presentation of solutions of Club FASEP members and the role they can play to better manage water resources and assets, thus reducing costs and increasing profitability for utility providers, and, a roundtable on the importance of green technologies to face current demographic and climate challenges, and opportunities and barriers for their adoption, and, a roundtable on key factors for scaling up green technologies for better resource management, including financing options.
The workshop also created a platform for online and in-person bilateral meetings between private French companies and water utility providers.
The roundtables presented an opportunity to discuss the factors impacting the successful adoption of innovations, and, factors to be considered include, but are not limited to: Identifying the right stakeholders within the organizational structure of the water utility, Adapting the innovation to the local context and avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach, and, Unlocking the value of data to gain actionable insights on the water system.
Panelists also discussed; the financing options available to scale up green technologies, how adoption within the water utility can be supported through change management, and How the performance of the system can be monitored over time and maintained.
Panelists include; Suzanne KOUKOUI PRADA, Economic Trade Counsellor, Embassy of France in Uganda Olivier PANNETIER, Program Officer, French Development Agency (AFD) Julie TROGNON, Attachée for Sustainable Development East Africa and the Indian Ocean, French Treasury TBC, Uganda National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) Kevin NIRSIMLOO, Partner – Director of Development, Thomas RIVIERE-Project Engineer International Projects Altereo, Sébastien RIGAL, CEO, Watura Arnaud BIENNE, Middle East / Eastern Africa Area Sales Manager, Lacroix Sofrel Julien GUIDAT, Area Manager East Africa, Saint Gobain Marc CORMERY, Export Manager, Sainte Lizaigne, Juliana CHIA, Program Of icer, Global Fund for Cities Development (FMDV) Maria GIORDA, Program Of icer, Global Fund for Cities Development (FMDV), Thomas ODONGO, Managing Director, Kisumu Water and Sanitation Company Limited (KIWASCO) Antony AMBUGO, CEO, Kenya Water Services Providers Association (WASPA) Dominique MUREZEKI, Director of Department of Development, Water and Sanitation Corporation (WASAC) Zainab MPAKIRABA, Manager of External Services, Uganda National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) Maurice KAVAI, Deputy Head of Climate Change Department, Nairobi County Martin NJISSE, Project Leader WWX Water Operating Partnership, VEI, Joerg DUX, Division Chief, Water and Waste Management North Africa, KfW Fred OTHIENO, Water Of icer, KfW, and, Muhammad Ali SHAIKH, Lead Waste and Water, Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI).
