Africa Water Infrastructure Development

What Africa Water Infrastructure Development does

Africa Water Infrastructure Development (AWID) is a private joint-venture platform established in 2023 by Metito Utilities and British International Investment (BII) to develop and finance climate-smart water infrastructure at scale across Africa, headquartered in Dubai, UAE with a regional office in Giza, Egypt. The platform operates as an Independent Water Producer, developing, financing, constructing, and operating water and wastewater assets under long-term Public-Private Partnership (PPP) structures including Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT), Build-Own-Operate (BOO), and Takeover-Operate-Transfer (TOT) concession models, typically with 27-year terms. Core technology centers on seawater desalination, bulk surface-water treatment with riverbank filtration, and wastewater treatment integrated with green technologies and alternative energy components to reduce environmental footprint and increase climate resilience. Key operating assets include the 40,000 m³/day Kigali Bulk Water Supply Project in Rwanda (serving 27% of city water needs and 500,000 consumers under offtake to government utility WASAC) and eight Sharm El Sheikh desalination plants in Egypt totaling 20,750 m³/day with an associated 40km pipeline network serving tourism and hospitality customers. AWID participates in consortium structures with engineering partners such as HaskoningDHV, Rebel Group, WaterConnect, and PIDG, and is currently developing the €90 million Naivasha SEZ Bulk Water Supply Project in Kenya targeting a projected 575,000-population catchment by 2030. Revenue is generated through long-dated government offtake agreements and direct bulk water supply contracts with commercial and industrial customers, with primary customer segments being African governments and public utilities, industrial and commercial consumers, residential/domestic users, and the tourism sector in water-stressed coastal regions.

Name

Africa Water Infrastructure Development

Legal name

Africa Water Infrastructure Development Limited

Website

https://awidco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AWID is a Dubai-based joint venture between Metito Utilities and BII that develops, finances, and operates climate-smart water and wastewater infrastructure under long-term PPP concessions across Africa, currently operating assets in Rwanda and Egypt with a development pipeline in Kenya.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Infrastructure Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Utilities (22)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Design & Engineering for Renewal/Expansion (Pipelines, Pump Stations, Treatment Plants) (EUANALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG), Water & Wastewater Infrastructure Asset Management (EUAEAMAH), Intake/Outfall & Raw Water Abstraction Works (River/Sea Intakes, Outfalls) (IMAFAGAI), Direct Potable Reuse (DPR) Utilities (Advanced Treatment & Blending) (EUANAGAC), Water Source Development & Conveyance (Intakes, Canals, Pipelines) (AFACAFAH)

Keywords

• Water infrastructure development
• Bulk water supply
• Wastewater treatment services
• Desalination plant construction
• Public-private partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Peter Port

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Water Infrastructure Concession and O&M Services: AWID develops, finances, constructs, and operates water and wastewater treatment facilities under long-term PPP concessions (BOT, BOO, TOT models). Revenue is generated through government offtake agreements where treated water is sold to government-owned utilities (e.g., WASAC in Rwanda), which then distribute to end consumers. The 27-year PPP agreement for the Kigali project is a representative structure.
2. Bulk Water Supply to Commercial and Industrial Consumers: Provision of bulk potable water to hotels, commercial establishments, and industrial users in water-scarce regions (e.g., Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt) through desalinated water supply agreements, generating recurring revenue from tourism and commercial sectors.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Africa Water Infrastructure Development (AWID) develops, finances, constructs, and operates climate-smart water and wastewater infrastructure assets across Africa under long-term Public-Private Partnership (PPP) concessions, including Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT), Build-Own-Operate (BOO), and Takeover-Operate-Transfer (TOT) models. The company delivers bulk water supply, desalination, and wastewater treatment services primarily to government-owned utilities, industrial users, and tourism facilities in water-scarce regions.

Product overview

Africa Water Infrastructure Development (AWID) is a platform established by Metito Utilities and British International Investment in 2023 to develop and finance climate-smart water projects at scale across Africa. The platform operates as a unified offering combining multiple services including Bulk Water Supply, Wastewater Treatment, Greenfield Investments, Operations and Maintenance, Desalination Plants Development, and Brownfield Assets Development. Key operating assets include the Kigali Bulk Water Supply Project in Rwanda (40,000 m3/day capacity) and Sharm El Sheikh Desalination Plants in Egypt (20,750 m3/day capacity). AWID functions as an Independent Water Producer utilizing PPP models under various business structures such as BOT, BOO, and concessions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bulk Water Supply Provides bulk water supply infrastructure and services for municipal, commercial, and industrial consumers across Africa, typically delivered under long-term PPP concession agreements with government-owned water utilities.
• Wastewater Treatment Develops and operates wastewater treatment facilities to treat and recycle wastewater for sustainable water management, serving municipalities, industrial users, and economic zones.
• Greenfield Investments in Water Assets Develops new water infrastructure projects from the ground up under various financing models including BOT, BOO, and full concessions, typically commissioned by African governments through competitive tender or PIP processes.
• Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Provides long-term operation and maintenance services for water and wastewater infrastructure assets developed under concession agreements.
• Desalination Plants Development Develops seawater desalination plants to produce fresh water for water-scarce regions, particularly supporting tourism, commercial, and industrial needs along coastal areas.
• Brownfield Assets Development

Quantifiable outcome

• 27% of Kigali city water needs supplied through bulk water PPP facility with 40,000 m³/day capacity
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• HaskoningDHVflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner
• Rebel GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner
• WaterConnectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner
• Government of Rwanda / Ministry of InfrastructureflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner
• Water and Sanitation Corporation (WASAC) RwandaflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• WaterEquity: WaterEquity is an impact investment manager that mobilizes private capital into water and sanitation infrastructure in emerging markets, including Africa and South Asia. It is an emerging peer in the water infrastructure financing space, competing for DFI-backed mandates that overlap with AWID's.
• Global Water Development Partners (BlackRock): Global Water Development Partners is BlackRock's emerging-market water infrastructure investment platform focused on greenfield water and wastewater projects. It is an emerging peer with a similar platform-style mandate for developing and financing water concessions in developing markets.
• Aqua for All: Aqua for All is a Dutch-based impact fund and facility focused on mobilizing finance for water and sanitation infrastructure in developing markets, including Africa. It is comparable as an emerging player in the water infrastructure financing ecosystem targeting the same SDG-aligned investment thesis AWID pursues.

Direct peers

• Metito Utilities: Metito Utilities is AWID's 50% shareholder and operational backbone, directly developing and operating water and wastewater concessions globally. It is the closest functional comparator — same PPP/concession business model, same water infrastructure asset class, and effectively the platform that AWID was carved out of for African deployment.
• British International Investment (BII): BII is AWID's other 50% shareholder and the UK's DFI that mobilizes private capital into African infrastructure including water. While BII is a financial investor rather than an operator, its infrastructure equity and WASH investment teams directly comparable in mandate, capital structure, and African focus, and it co-leads investments that compete with or complement AWID's mandate.
• HaskoningDHV (Water & Maritime): HaskoningDHV is a Dutch engineering consultancy that co-leads the Naivasha SEZ consortium with AWID and competes for design, engineering, and project development mandates for African water infrastructure. It is a direct peer in project origination and consortium formation for water PPPs.

Broad incumbents

• Veolia Africa Water & Wastewater: Veolia is a global water utility and PPP operator with significant African concessions. As a broad incumbent, it competes for the same large-scale municipal water and wastewater PPP mandates in Africa that AWID targets, with deeper balance sheet and more established project finance relationships.
• Suez Water Africa: Suez operates water and wastewater concessions across Africa under long-term municipal contracts, directly overlapping AWID's PPP-based service offering for urban water utilities. It is a broad incumbent with established African delivery capacity and competing for similar government concessions.
• Acciona Agua: Acciona Agua is a global water treatment and desalination EPC operator with growing presence in African and Middle Eastern PPPs. It is a broad incumbent that competes directly with AWID's desalination and bulk water supply capabilities, particularly in Egypt and North Africa.
• International Finance Corporation (IFC) Water Infrastructure: IFC is a long-standing Metito shareholder and a major multilateral investor in African water and wastewater PPPs. It is a broad incumbent financing institution that funds competing concessions and provides anchor equity in the same asset class AWID targets, with broader geographic and sectoral scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Africa Water Infrastructure Development