Uduma

Why We Invest

Broken water pumps litter the African continent. Governments and NGOs get excited about new boreholes but too often don’t have a plan to keep water running. Most business solutions ignore the poorest communities.

Uduma takes a smarter, “utility” approach. They partner with governments on large-scale water contracts where profitable areas subsidize remote ones. Public funds are used to build or upgrade water points, and Uduma ensures that the water keeps flowing through professional operation and maintenance. Uduma charges customers for the service, and customers have proven they are willing to pay. 

Uduma’s model ensures rural water access even in the most remote—and typically unprofitable—areas. They’ve made it work at national scale in Burkina (profitable) and Benin (active contract), launched in Côte d’Ivoire, and are still operating in Mali despite challenges. The model’s working—but scaling it depends on governments willing to invest in infrastructure and redraw the map to reach everyone. When they do, Uduma could reshape how rural water gets done across Africa.