Old Problem, New Solution

Hi there,

Trust you are having the best of the weekend.

Headlines all over the world are currently focused on the new Pope Leo XIV and a war that is brewing between India and Pakistan. We will, however, stay home instead and reflect on how a simple water solution built a multi-billion dollar industry across West Africa.

Did you know that pure water began as a simple solution to the absence of public water infrastructure in most West African countries? It started in 1994 with Sir Isaac Adeagbo Akinpade's pioneering the production in Ibadan of what has become Nigeria's most sold commodity.

Unlike its predecessor, ice water, it was filtered and chemically treated, thus sold as pure water. Entering the business required minimal investment to start; anyone could start at scale and many flooded into the pure water business. It would create countless entrepreneurs and a new class of small business owners across the region.

But this convenience comes at an environmental cost. 50-60 million sachets are discarded daily and these plastics that take decades to decompose now clog drainage systems, pollute water bodies and contribute to flooding during rainy seasons.

Of late, there have been rumours that Lagos State Government will ban pure water precisely because of these environmental concerns. This however, might not be the best solution.

The story of pure water perfectly captures our remarkable ability to innovate in addressing critical needs that arise from government failures. But the pressures on the environment caused by these sachets have become a huge problem that now invites the same entrepreneurial spirit to find promising solutions. One of such are automatic water dispensers. They have started appearing in cities like Dakar.

This weekend, we invite you to read about how this uniquely African innovation transformed access to drinking water while creating its own peculiar problems.

How Pure Water Became a Multi-billion Dollar Industry

Sachet water or pure water was invented as an innovative solution to the lack of reliable public water infrastructure in most West African countries. It would go on to transform how millions accessed potable water. Thirty years later, sachet water has become a multibillion-dollar industry throughout West Africa.

Anyone could establish small-scale production facilities with minimal investment. With machines that could produce anything from a few bags to those that could produce hundreds, the business could be set up at scale. All it required was access to tap water and water filters. The industry’s low entry barriers contributed to its explosive growth.

It has, however, created peculiar problems of its own that now invites new and transformative solutions.

👉 Full Story here: How Pure Water Became a Multi-billion Dollar Industry

From Elsewhere

When the new pope visited Nigeria in 2016:

Now known as Pope Leo XIV, the new pontiff visited Abuja in 2016 when he was still Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, as part of his duties as an Augustinian leader. He would engage with members of the order and the broader Catholic community.

Till Wednesday,

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