The benchmarking visit hosted by the NWSC – External Services department was an important opportunity for collaboration and knowledge exchange between the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) in Uganda and Malawi’s Lilongwe Water Board (LWB). The visit took place from July 31st to August 4th, 2023, and involved a delegation of ten (10) notable individuals from LWB, including government officials and key executives.
The main objective of the visit was to benchmark on Urban Sewerage Management, specifically focusing on the case of NWSC and Kampala Capital City Authority (K.C.C.A) in Uganda. The topics of interest included Policy and Technical Aspects of City-Wide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) from a utility perspective, Decentralized operations of K.C.C.A -Sanitation and Environment Management, and Sanitation Services in Kampala – the Role of NWSC.
Dr. Rose C. Kaggwa, the Senior Director of Business and Scientific Services at NWSC, led the delegation through an introductory session. She emphasized the importance of partnerships in business and encouraged the team to view the visit as an opportunity for knowledge exchange, with both sides sharing their experiences and identifying areas for improvement.
During the visit, the delegation learned about NWSC’s 50-year journey, the challenges they faced in water supply and sewerage networks, and the solutions they implemented to overcome these challenges. Some of the solutions included interventions from development partners, automatic meter reading, groundwater developments, use of solar energy, and biogas for the sewerage system.
The Covid-19 pandemic was also discussed, highlighting the challenges it brought and the opportunities it presented for innovation and strengthened partnerships. The NWSC Deputy Managing Director, Eng. Johnson Amayo, participated in an interactive session, providing insights into utility operations, financing, tariffs, and the roles of various stakeholders, including the Board of Directors and government ministries.
The delegation also engaged with officials from the Kampala Capital City Authority (K.C.C.A), who shared their experiences with the implementation of the City-Wide Inclusive Sanitation approach in Kampala. Various sanitation infrastructure developments, including those in households, schools, and public facilities, as well as private sector-led service delivery and sanitation marketing, were discussed.
Throughout the visit, the delegation had the opportunity to visit various facilities, including the NWSC Contact Center, K.C.C.A Fecal Sludge Management services, Kisenyi pro-poor Water & Sanitation Services, the Nakivubo WWTP, Kinawataka pumping station, and the Uganda Martyrs Shrine in Namugongo. The visit concluded with a courtesy call to the NWSC Managing Director, Dr. Eng. Silver Mugisha, before the LWB officials returned to Malawi.
Overall, this benchmarking visit provided a valuable platform for both NWSC and LWB to learn from each other’s experiences, strengthen their partnerships, and broaden their networks for mutual growth and improvement in urban sewerage management and sanitation services.
