This decision will certainly boost Impact Water’s activities in Nigeria. Danone Communities, an investment fund owned by the French group Danone, is committed to investing in this project initiated in schools in Nigeria. Danone offers mini water treatment systems, installed in kiosks, better known as Safe Water Enterprises (SWE).
The exact amount of the investment made for Impact Water has not been disclosed. The company installed its water treatment systems in at least 5,000 Nigerian schools and universities in 2018. These SWEs provide drinking water to 1.8 million young people; a flattering record for investors like Danone Communities. “With all its investments in social enterprises around the world, Danone Communities now reaches more than 3 million people every day,” the fund says. It recently took part in the fundraising campaign of the French company Oshun, which provides drinking water in villages in Senegal. The financial mobilisation made it possible to raise several million euros. This investment should enable the young company to set up in several other villages in this West African country.
Impact Water mainly targets educational institutions. The company is active in East Africa, particularly in Uganda. In early March 2019 in Kenya, it concluded an agreement with National Bank, a state-owned commercial bank. The financial institution will be involved in financing, distribution and, more broadly, logistics in schools that have opened an account with it.
This agreement should enable Impact Water to provide water to 5,000 schools, reaching 4 million students across Kenya. It is supported by the Ministry of Education. The kiosks have already been distributed to 4,000 schools in East Africa.
Jean Marie Takouleu