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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Jibu, a social enterprise pioneering a powerful franchising model to supply safe drinking water across seven African countries, has won the Transformational Business Award for Transformational Solutions in Urban Infrastructure, it said on Nov.04.
The award was given by the Financial Times and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group.
The IFC gathered senior investors, innovators, social entrepreneurs and other thought leaders for its 15 th annual Transformational Business Awards ceremony that announced the winners of the FT/IFC Transformational Business Awards last month.
The awards honor organisations whose capital, technology and ideas are contributing to substantive progress in developing low-carbon urban infrastructure, delivering healthcare and education, assuring food and water security, boosting inclusion, and generally transforming the development landscape.
Jibu won the top prize in the category of Urban Infrastructure.
This award highlights the project that addresses the most crucial infrastructure needs in the fast-growing cities of the developing world, with long-term socio-economic impact.
This category is open to private sector businesses only, but recognises the importance of public-private partnerships in infrastructure. Jibu was one of five international organisations competing for the prize.
It addresses the lack of safe drinking water and business ownership opportunities in emerging markets in Africa.
The company trains and finances entrepreneurs to produce and distribute affordable and safe drinking water and other essential services to their local communities.
An environmentally-conscious approach is incorporated through the elimination of single-use plastics and the use of ultrafiltration water technology that requires less energy and water than traditional technologies.
To-date, the franchise network has sold more than 160 million litres of safe drinking water.
The organisation is building a decentralised network of locally owned production franchises that can both generate local wealth and improve access and affordability to essential utilities like drinking water and clean energy.
