Water and Sanitation

We bring deep, hands-on experience to some of Africa’s most ambitious water and sanitation initiatives, from raw water abstraction and treatment, bulk supply and wastewater treatment to institutional reform, basin-level governance and innovative PPP models. We have acted for public authorities, regulators, bidders, project companies, contractors, operators and funders, giving us a full view of the commercial, institutional and statutory dynamics that shape water projects across Africa.

Selected experience (4 matters) ▾

South Africa: the advisory arm of an international finance institution on eThekwini’s Umdloti and Umhlatuze Sewage Treatment Plants PPP
Kenya: an international sponsor on its participation in an unsolicited proposal for the Naivasha Bulk Water Supply PPP
Municipal entities: the Rustenburg Water Services Trust on upgrading water and sanitation infrastructure, including three new treatment plants, lender financing and offtake arrangements with mines; a developer on a sludge pelletising plant PPP with eThekwini; the establishment of a new municipal entity for water services; and a water services agreement between a municipal entity, its parent municipality and the relevant water board
OKACOM: international adviser to the Permanent Okavango River Basin Water Commission on an endowment fund for the Cubango-Okavango River Basin

Regulatory and Institutional Expertise

We advise on the regulatory frameworks governing water undertakings and project companies, and help unblock institutional or statutory constraints that impede bankability. Working with local counsel, we support clients on:

Institutional arrangements and governance
Property rights and land acquisition
Environmental authorisations and compliance
Economic regulation and tariff frameworks

Our work spans all technologies, including desalination, bulk water treatment and hydropower-linked water infrastructure.

Sanitation and Water Reuse

We have advised on sanitation projects across Africa, including sewage treatment plants procured through PPPs, and on innovative water reuse PPPs in which industrial offtakers cross-subsidise the potable water supplied to water services authorities.

Non-Revenue Water and Performance-Based Contracting

We support utilities implementing non-revenue water programmes, including drafting and negotiating the performance-based contracts that underpin them, to reduce losses, improve operational efficiency and strengthen financial resilience.

Water and Sanitation