It is a partnership that will undoubtedly improve access to water and sanitation on the African continent. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), an organisation of the World Bank Group, 100 Resilient Cities (100 RC) of the Rockefeller Foundation and Global Innovation Fund (GIF) have decided to support the WIPA, IFC, 100 RC and GIF are the co-founders of the Water Innovation Platform for Africa, the platform set up to help water services in sub-Saharan Africa achieve sustainable development goals with a focus on safe drinking water and improved sanitation.
These institutions recently participated in a workshop organised by Isle Utilities, with the support of the African Water Association, with the participation of representatives from several water companies in Kampala, Uganda’s capital.
Water Innovation Platform for Africa (WIPA)
This is not the only workshop organised around WIPA; others will be launched on the continent to define the contours of this platform. “The company is committed to finding solutions to the complex problems affecting emerging markets. By supporting the Africa Water Innovation Platform, IFC encourages collaboration between water utilities and technology providers to deploy innovations that truly improve water and sanitation services for the user,” said George Butler, IFC’s water specialist.
In concrete terms, it is a platform that will allow the introduction of new technologies, with a view to helping local administrations and water distribution services. To do this, the IFC says it will encourage collaboration between local services and providers of innovative technologies. It is expected that partnerships will be signed between public and parastatal companies responsible for water management and sanitation, with start-ups providing water pumping, treatment and recycling solutions.
IFC officials were keen to emphasise that their support for this new platform is part of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), in the “implementation of sustainable development” component. The financial contours of IFC, 100 RC and GIF support to WAPI have not been specified but more will certainly be known at the end of the next seminar on Platform for Water Sector Innovation in Africa in 2019.
Jean Marie Takouleu