3GF Africa Regional Conference 2015
Partnership Market Place
Grundfos Lifelink
When:
Where:
Speaker(s):
Wednesday, 13 May, 17:00-18:30
Tent in the fountain area
Rasoul D. Mikkelsen, Director Strategic Partnership Grundfos, [email protected]
What is the green growth challenge you are trying to overcome? What are the key barriers to change?
There is no doubt that climate change has huge impact on natural resources and effect poor people economically and socially. According to one estimate, as the Mediterranean region and southern Africa face reduced rainfall, 1 billion people living in these already dry regions will face increased water scarcity. Demand for water will
increase by 40% by 2030. The Lifelink solution address social, economic and environmental challenges by incorporating innovative ICT technology, renewable energy and turnkey water management solutions, which significantly reduces use of fossil fuels and ensures efficient use of scares water resources. This uniquely provides
rural and peri-urban communities in developing countries with sustainable access to safe and affordable water.
The key barriers are the wiliness to taking and sharing risks amongst key players in the water sector. Lack of
proper legal framework and silo thinking amongst key stakeholders also hinder progress.
What is your partnership approach / hypothesis?
The Grundfos Lifelink business model is holistic, considering broad socio-economic and environmental issues in
order to expand reach and impact. Grundfos Lifelink builds cross-sector partnerships to facilitate the right solution for every situation. Identifying the viable business model for each project needs, demands attention to every step in the value chain. Together with customers and partners, Grundfos Lifelink engages in knowledge sharing and facilitation to arrive at the right model for achieving financial viability in water supply operations which
is major issue. Capacity building of our implementing partner will contribute to knowledge transfer and create
more Green Job where Grundfos Lifelink solutions are implemented.
Who are the partners involved and how? Who are the other stakeholders?
Grundfos Lifelink collaborates with International NGOs, water utilities, government officials, various donors &
investors, private foundations and local governors. Through a global partnership agreement signed with World
Vision International, Grundfos has agreed to reach 2 million underserved poor within the next 5-years. Currently, Grundfos is also in dialogue with various international NGOs and water utilities in Africa to develop and sign a
partnership agreement to deliver sustainable water supply to the vast number of unserved peri-urban and rural
inhabitants. Additionally, Grundfos engages with bilateral and multilateral donors as well as local government
institutions, to set agendas and identify synergies to increase delivery of sustainable water services to underserved populations.
What are your partnership objectives and what achievements have there been to date?
The objective of the Grundfos partnership approach is to identify and create business opportunities through
long-term, committed partnerships. Together with customers and partners, Grundfos Lifelink engages in
knowledge sharing and facilitation to arrive at the right model for achieving financial, environmental, social and
operational sustainability in water supply operations. Today, more than 50 Lifelink project sites are operating
and were established in collaboration with various partners, e.g. Red Cross Kenya, Government of Kenya, World
Vision International and Water Missions International. These projects are providing water for more than
100,000 people.
What is the potential of this partnership to achieve impact and scale?
There is a huge potential to scale up sustainable water service delivery as an estimated 50,000 water supply
points have failed across rural Africa, mainly due to lack of funds and capacity for operation and maintenance.
Furthermore, more than 750 million has no access to water today of which 350 million live in Africa. Grundfos
Lifelink with partners offer exactly this: identification of funds and a model to sustain operation and maintenance. Through strong partnerships Grundfos Lifelink will to scale up activities in 9 focus countries in Africa.
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