More than ideas: Cross-partnership synergies

Intensive exchange at the network meeting of the utility platform in Stuttgart, Germany

Overview

At Stuttgart's Impact Hub, a co-working space and event venue, more than 60 practitioners from seven partnerships met on May 30 and 31, 2022, to network across partnerships, identify success strategies for operator partnerships, and discuss emerging issues within the partnerships.

The following BMZ-funded partnerships were represented at the network meeting:

  • Lukanga Water Supply and Sanitation Company, Sambia in partnership with Gelsenwasser, Emschergenossenschaft/Lippeverband and Wabau
  • Kahama-Shinyanga Water Supply and Sanitation Authority (KASHWASA) and KUWASA, Tansania with Hamburg Wasser and Netze BW Stuttgart (new member since September 2021)
  • Lvivvodokanal, Lviv, Ukraine in partnership with Stadtentwässerung Dresden, Berliner Wasserbetriebe and Stadtentwässerungsbetriebe Köln
  • Miyahuna LLC Water Company, Amman Jordanien in partnership with Hamburg Wasser and hanseWasser
  • Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality in partnership with Oldenburgisch-Ostfriesischer Wasserverband (OOWV), Wupperverband and Stadtwerke Norderstedt

In addition, two partnerships funded by the Global Water Operators' Partnership Alliance (GWOPA) were also invited by BMZ to participate in the network meeting:

  • Luapula Water Supply and Sanitation Company Sambia together with Stadtentwässerung Dresden
  • eThekwini Municipality, South Africa together with Hamburg Wasser

 

Program

The fourth network meeting focused on the exchange among the participants. The attendees were given even more time and space to share their ideas than in the previous meetings. The overall goal was to strengthen the network of the participating operators, to identify synergies and to promote them.

The participants worked in their partnerships or in mixed teams. They identified common topics and success factors.

In line with the practice-oriented character of the network meeting, a field visit was scheduled for the afternoon of the second workshop day, which took the participants either to Stuttgart's largest water tank in the western inner city district or to a teaching and research sewage treatment plant operated by the University of Stuttgart.

Agenda [pdf, 630 kb, 4 pages]

Insights

For Yoram William Sinyangwe, there is no doubt: The partnership with Gelsenwasser AG has boosted his company's work at all levels: "At our company, the entire organization is involved in the project. All 256 employees are familiar with the goals, and every single one of them goes along with it." enthusiastically stated the Managing Director of the Lukanga Water Supply and Sanitation Company Ltd (LgWSC), based in Kabwe, Zambia.

You can get a more intensive insight into the partnership in this  reportage [pdf, 4 pages, 468 kb]

Results

The network meeting deepened the exchange and motivated the participants to tackle the manifold challenges in the water companies. In addition to facilitating networking, common issues were identified. These will be revisited across partnerships in the near future. During the peer-to-peer consultations on the second conference day, advice was given for individual problems in the companies.

Report

Documentation [pdf, 2,5 mb, 18 pages]

Netzwerktreffen der Betreiberplattform zur Stärkung von Partnerschaften kommunaler Unternehmen weltweit
30 and 31 Mai 2022 in Stuttgart

English translation coming soon.
 

Gallery

Categories: network meetings

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