In 2017, Veolia and Odial Solutions launched an all-in-one drinking water and electricity supply offer for people in peri-urban and rural Africa. In sub-Saharan Africa, 400 million people living in rural zones have no access to drinking water. The partnership aims to offer comprehensive contracts for the delegated supply of water and electricity to towns and their outlying districts, with the aim of mitigating the imbalance between urban and rural populations. The model requires a small financial effort to be made by urban areas, making the cost of a liter of water and a kilowatt-hour of electricity far more affordable to people in rural zones. In 2016, Veolia and Odial jointly delivered a project in Niger to set up 128 micro water networks powered by solar pumps.
This joint action is a clear statement of both companies’ commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). More specifically, it meets the goals for clean water and sanitation (SDG6), affordable and clean energy (SDG7), and the partnerships for the goals (SDG17).