School sanitation in Aeroporto B

The virtuous circle of good customer service: experience from Mozambique

By Antonio Madeira, Head of Water, Mozambique Creating stronger service providers, a core strategic goal for WSUP’s 2020-2025 business plan, requires development of scalable business models that allow services to be provided to low-income customers at a profit. There are two fundamental ways to make a business model more profitable: increasing revenue or reducing costs […]


NAWASSCO official and residents

Customer experience: everyone’s business and no one’s responsibility

By Lorine Arodi, Business Development Lead, Kenya Opinions formed at the point of purchase are not fixed. Customers continually re-evaluate the value of the products and services they buy against the experience they receive, which is why companies must invest time and resources in continuing to satisfy customer experience expectations. Customer experience is the subjective […]


Kiosk operator serves a customer in Madagascar

‘Leaky bucket marketing’: the importance of balancing acquisition with retention

By Annie Hall, Marketing Specialist Over the past year, I have been working alongside WSUP’s country teams to support utilities in extending their reach to more people, in the most deprived areas of a city. Projects usually feature an infrastructure-led programme to extend the network, supported by some form of community sensitisation campaign to drive […]


Illegal water connections Biafra, Nairobi

Citywide access to water and sanitation services in Kenya

Clean, piped water brings dignity to people, reduces living costs, frees up time – and crucially, given the situation right now, is a critical defence against infectious diseases. With the support of The Coca-Cola Foundation’s Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN), Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) has been working with Kenyan city authorities to […]


Dirty water_ John Laing

Stronger regulators crucial to improving sanitation services for the poorest, report finds

A new report published by Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) and the Eastern and Southern Africa Water and Sanitation (ESAWAS) Regulators Association identifies how stronger regulators can play an important role in improving sanitation for under-served urban residents. The report, entitled Referee! Responsibilities, regulations and regulating for urban sanitation, has four key […]


CS Water Inspects handwashing points

How can the global WASH sector respond better in future crises?

By Kariuki Mugo, Director of WASH Sector Support The global WASH sector has laudably responded to the Covid-19 pandemic. Most of the actions have been in supporting the public health domain in handwashing with soap by way of ensuring adequate water is available in most households. There has also been a great deal of investment […]


Mtendere East water point

Fighting Covid-19 sustainably: four steps to creating water solutions that will last

In the wake of coronavirus, governments in developing economies are waking up to the urgency of providing water as an act of defence against infectious diseases. Some short-term measures are important, but equally important is a renewed focus on long-term availability of water supplies, particularly for the poorest in cities. Universal water coverage is not […]


Mtendere East Water Trust

Delegated Management Models: ensuring service delivery at a local level

By Chisha Mwenso, Administrative Officer, Zambia In Zambia, WSUP has been supporting sustainable models for WASH service delivery to help reach more people in the most underserved communities. In Lusaka, the capital and largest city in Zambia, around 65% of residents live in low-income communities, many of which lack access to clean water and safe […]


Handwashing station in Accra, Ghana

Covid-19 and crowded urban settlements: how can we stop the spread?

By Sam Drabble, Acting Head of Evaluation, Research & Learning For the one billion people living in informal urban settlements in the Global South, the spread of coronavirus poses an imminent threat that could prove catastrophic. A range of factors makes transmission of the virus in these contexts more likely, and the potential impacts even […]


Rasoa, resident in Antananarivo

Bright water, bright future: climate resilient services in Madagascar

For residents of Antananarivo like Rasoa, access to reliable water sources is essential in the face of increasing water scarcity. Across the globe climate change is affecting the most vulnerable people in cities the most. For Madagascar’s peri-urban communities alternating severe droughts and flooding are making it harder for people to access safe, clean water […]