Nairobi, November 16, 2012
-- IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and Aquaya, a non-profit research and consulting organization, jointly launched today the
Water Business Kit: Kenya
. The kit provides Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs with a step-by-step guide to developing a water treatment and vending business in Kenya to improve public health and grow the economy
The traditional bottled water market in Kenya is thriving with sales estimated at KShs.12 billion per year and over 100 brands in the market. This indicates that there is consumer demand for safe treated drinking water, and an opportunity for businesses that can offer comparable quality water at a lower price.
IFC and Aquaya launched the kit at a workshop in Nairobi attended by Kenyan SMEs and entrepreneurs interested in expanding or moving into the water treatment business. For IFC, the Water Business Kit is part of a wider initiative to identify market-based solutions to expanding access to safe water and sanitation products and services.
“Access to safe water is a critical development challenge in most of Africa”, said Sara Clancy, IFC Head of Sustainability for Sub-Saharan Africa. “We believe the private sector can play a greater role in tackling this challenge, complementing essential public sector investment in water and sanitation. The Water Business Kit is also part of an effort to expand IFC’s range of SME business toolkits to include specific, challenging sectors such as water.”
Our research has shown that small-scale water treatment and vending is a proven, profitable business model in many countries,” said Ranjiv Khush, the co-founder of Aquaya. “With the industry just beginning to emerge in Kenya, there is an opportunity for entrepreneurs to enter the market now, and we have spent the last 18 months helping businesses to take advantage of the opportunity.”
For more information, the Water Business Kit: Kenya is available for free download at:
IFC also offers an SME Toolkit which provides free business management information and training for small business owners. For information visit
www.kenya.smetoolkit.org
About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector. We help developing countries achieve sustainable growth by financing investment, mobilizing capital in international financial markets, and providing advisory services to businesses and governments. In FY12, our investments reached an all-time high of more than $20 billion, leveraging the
power of the private sector to create jobs, spark innovation, and tackle the world’s most pressing development challenges. For more information, visit
www.ifc.org
.
About Aquaya
The Aquaya Institute (Aquaya) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving global child health by increasing access to safe drinking water. We focus on research and technology development in the areas of water quality management, service delivery, and impact assessment. We also provide consulting services to support public and private safe water efforts. For more information, visit
www.aquaya.org
.
