Promoting entrepreneurs in the WASH sector
Into the significant gaps left by public services providers across Africa, Asia and Latin America step a myriad of small local entrepreneurs. These range in size, in legality and in the support and recognition that they get from outside parties.
Their common point? The highly valued services they provide to those who sit outside formal service delivery (or those who choose to ‘keep their options’ open). Whether these be water network owners in Cambodia, pit emptying businesses in Tanzania or associations of small water providers in Paraguay, there is much value in shining a light on their actions and finding ways to support (and, in turn, regulate) their activities.
Interest in market-based approaches to solving development challenges continues to grow. Yet while smaller, local entrepreneurs are fairly commonplace, workable modus operandi for engaging them - whether from the water or sanitation sectors - is still somewhat of a work in progress.
Work as long ago as 2012 suggested that whilst numerous diverse entrepreneurs offer a range of WASH services to communities, often they only receive limited oversight or support from public bodies, NGOs and others. A key question then, as now, was “can the sanitation ‘business’ model develop more predictability, simplicity and rigour (especially in the eyes of bankers and small business consultants)?”.