In this newsletter, our Managing Director, Josien Sluijs, shares her reflections on 2023.
Reflecting on the highlights of 2023, I cannot thank the Aqua for All team enough, as well as our donors, partners, entrepreneurs, and everyone who has been part of our journey this year. Our special thanks go to the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs (IGG) for their unwavering support. We could not have succeeded without the collaboration of all of you, which plays a pivotal role in transforming and generating meaningful impact on the water and sanitation sector.
Our market approach focuses on developing strong enterprises to deliver sustainable and affordable WASH services through 14 acceleration programmes and direct growth support, which resulted in the signing of 150 contracts.
In the past year, we celebrated numerous achievements, starting with our participation in the UN 2023 Water Conference. In Kenya, we launched the Challenge Fund in partnership with Family Bank, Sidian Bank, and Smart People Africa. Through the fund, we will provide revenue-based loans for the infrastructure projects of 150 small-scale water providers. This is a big step towards a brighter future for communities.
In August, together with Roots of Impact, we introduced the Impact-Linked Loans, the newest financing instrument of the Impact-Linked Fund for WASH. Through this uncollateralised loan, we support water and sanitation enterprises in Eastern- or Southern Africa to scale and stay focused on their impact.
During the Clinton Global Initiative 2023 Meeting in September, we proudly announced our Commitment to Action: "Catalysing a sustainable water and sanitation economy". We pledged to expand our activities to additional regions in Africa and Asia to drive sector transformation by developing the market and facilitating investments in water and sanitation.
Looking ahead, we will continue with the challenging task of accelerating sustainable access and catalysing private capital to meet the needs of millions around the world. With our climate strategy in place, we look forward to developing and supporting climate adaptation and resilience among the enterprises and financiers we partner with.
We have many plans for 2024; we expect to launch new funds in partnership with international financiers and asset managers. We will strengthen our participation in global events by showcasing successful examples of transforming the sector to make it more sustainable, climate resilient and impactful. It will also be the year when many initiatives funded by the Making Water Count programme will come to an end. We look forward to collecting results and lessons learned and sharing them with the respective communities. We invite everyone to keep joining forces to accelerate sustainable access to water and sanitation for all. I look forward to our collaboration in the new year ahead of us!
Wishing you a joyous holiday season and a year filled with good health in 2024! Warmest regards, Josien Sluijs, Managing Director Aqua for All
