Africa Water Infrastructure Development launched for development of climate-smart projects

Metito Utilities Limited (MUL), a global investor and operator of water, wastewater, and alternative energy 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”, a first-of-its-kind platform to develop climate-smart water projects at scale and to increase water security across Africa.

The official launch of AWID took place at the British Embassy in Cairo, and was hosted by the British Ambassador, Gareth Bayley; MD and Head of Africa for BII, Chris Chijiutomi and Metito MD, Rami Ghandour.

The new platform, AWID, will finance water and wastewater management treatment plants as well as develop and construct world-class facilities that will help to increase access to sustainable, safe and reliable water with a clear focus on countries that are most vulnerable to the climate crisis.

AWID will demonstrate a viable commercial model for water infrastructure and provision in Africa, helping to mobilise long-term investment into the sector. Its investments will integrate green technologies and alternative energy components, which will help to reduce the environmental footprint of water infrastructure projects.

An operational bulk surface water treatment plant in Kigali-Rwanda forms the first asset under the new platform. 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.”

Commenting on the new partnership, Rami Ghandour, Managing Director of Metito said: “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.”