Our dual approach
Our goal is to build a thriving water and sanitation economy that drives innovation, sustainability and inclusion.
In doing so, we contribute to achieving SDG 6 and other SDGs, while advancing a green transition. Ensuring access to clean water and sanitation supports progress in poverty reduction (SDG 1), health and well-being (SDG 3), gender equality (SDG 5), economic growth (SDG 8) and climate resilience in communities (SDG 13).
We achieve this through our unique dual approach, combining our expertise in water and sanitation with market development and finance mobilisation. Both elements are crucial to transforming the sector and closing the service and finance gaps, while addressing challenges such as population growth, migration, urbanisation and climate change.
Addressing key challenges in water and sanitation
Governments and water and sanitation enterprises face significant capacity and funding constraints in delivering drinking water and sanitation services. We address these challenges with our dual approach:
Market development
Our market development strategy supports small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through grants, technical assistance and access to networks. This approach nurtures sustainable, scalable, and investment-ready water and sanitation enterprises, enabling them to provide reliable, efficient services to communities.
We focus on building a resilient water and sanitation sector by supporting SMEs and strengthening the overall ecosystem. These enterprises address critical market gaps, reaching millions of people, particularly in rural and peri-urban areas.
SMEs are crucial in expanding and maintaining water and sanitation services, ensuring sustainable access and long-term impact. By complementing public service efforts with locally adapted solutions, they drive income generation, enhance community resilience and foster economic growth.
Impact finance
Recognising the link between the finance and the service gaps, we deploy de-risking instruments to unlock essential private capital for delivering water and sanitation services.
Private finance is increasingly seen as key to accelerating access to inclusive, affordable and sustainable water and sanitation solutions. In recent years, there has been growing interest from asset managers, financial institutions and financial intermediaries to invest in the sector.
However, many stakeholders lack sufficient understanding of the water and sanitation market and need extra support to begin financing the sector. We provide a suite of tailored instruments to help financial partners enter and invest in the water and sanitation ecosystem.