NWSC Managing Director Silver Mugisha wants Danish firm Grundfos to partner with National Enterprise Corporation to manufacture pumps and spare parts in Uganda, while seeking cheaper financing and research support from global development partners.
National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) Managing Director Dr Engineer Silver Mugisha has asked Danish pump manufacturer Grundfos to partner with National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) to produce pumps and spare parts in Uganda, in a push to reduce import dependence and position the country as a supplier to other African markets.
Dr Mugisha made the request during meetings on the sidelines of the International Water Association (IWA) World Water Congress and Exhibition in Glasgow, Scotland, where he also sought lower-cost financing from the World Bank and support from the Gates Foundation for water research and sanitation initiatives.
He told Grundfos executives that NWSC imports spare parts for most of its pumps, leaving the utility vulnerable to lengthy waits for components shipped from abroad.
“For sustainability, if I work with you, I should be able to get your parts locally and not endure long waits to get parts from abroad,” Dr Mugisha said. “With NEC producing these spares, we can have a network supplying Africa.”
He said NEC had the capacity to manufacture the components, adding that local production could serve other African water utilities rather than Uganda alone.
Dr Mugisha proposed that Grundfos establish an in-house manufacturing arrangement with NEC to assemble pump components locally. He also asked the company to study NWSC’s hydraulic systems and develop energy-efficient pumps suited to the utility’s needs and the wider East African market.
The discussions also covered technologies such as prepaid water meters for Uganda and collaboration on electromechanical engineering training to build the technical capacity of Ugandan engineers.
Dr Mugisha said NWSC was moving towards competence-based training and wanted to draw on Grundfos’s expertise. He also asked the company to support the African Water and Sanitation Academy, which operates under the African Water and Sanitation Association (AfWASA), to promote innovation, learning and professional development across the continent.
Grundfos officials said the company had previously worked with utilities, IWA and AfWASA on learning initiatives and pledged to examine NWSC’s proposals. They outlined a financing model under which investment could be recovered through savings generated by more efficient pumps.
The officials also said Grundfos could develop intelligent pumping systems capable of automatically detecting faults, and pledged to work with NWSC to reduce energy consumption, operating costs and non-revenue water.
Dr Rose Kaggwa, NWSC Senior Director of Business and Scientific Services, asked Grundfos to become the principal sponsor of the IWA Water and Development Congress and Exhibition, which Uganda is scheduled to host in November 2027.
NWSC Board Chairman Professor Engineer Dr Henry Alinaitwe pledged the board’s support for management as it pursues the proposed initiatives.
In a separate meeting with the World Bank, Dr Mugisha presented NWSC’s performance and audited financial reports, which he said demonstrated the corporation’s creditworthiness.
He said the utility was seeking long-term, affordable financing through engagements involving local banks and the Ministry of Finance, with the money intended for infrastructure expansion, operational and energy efficiency, sanitation promotion and reduction of non-revenue water.
“The cost of financing is high, and the Government of Uganda is looking at low-cost financing and is doing away with expensive financing,” Dr Mugisha said.
He asked the World Bank to make any financing for water and sanitation infrastructure flexible enough to allow NWSC to undertake its own engineering designs, implement community-based models and engage affordable contractors to reduce project costs.
“We want to give people more water, reduce water-borne diseases, reduce the distance for fetching water and reduce the cost of access to clean, safe water,” he said, adding that the objectives aligned with the government’s socio-economic transformation agenda.
Dr Mugisha said the government was also mobilising domestic financing, including through bonds and funding from the National Social Security Fund, to support local projects.
World Bank officials described NWSC as a well-performing utility and said the bank would assess the risks and consider supporting the corporation if it demonstrated the capacity to implement projects independently.
They said the bank works with local lenders in Africa and would consider channelling financing through Ugandan banks. They also outlined its use of bonds and grants to fund government utilities and projects addressing climate change and expanding water and sanitation infrastructure.
The bank said due diligence on Uganda would be a next step.
NWSC Deputy Managing Director for Finance and Corporate Strategy Francis Owot said the corporation could manage the funds in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and other stakeholders.
He urged the World Bank to channel financing through local banks to reduce costs and use its due diligence process to identify an appropriate financing mix for Uganda.
At the Gates Foundation, Dr Mugisha sought support for NWSC’s research and development programme, sanitation initiatives, the 50 Towns Water Supply Improvement Project and preparations for the 2027 IWA congress.
He said NWSC had strengthened its research and development department and wanted the foundation to support it as an incubator for solutions to water and sanitation challenges across Africa. He cited sludge management at the utility’s facilities as one area requiring further work.
Dr Mugisha said water demand was outstripping supply in some towns and that the 50 Towns project was intended to strengthen resilience in communities served by NWSC.
He urged the foundation to support improvements in water supply and on-site sanitation in the towns, as well as the African Water and Sanitation Academy, which Uganda hosts and which he said could help address challenges across the continent.
Professor Alinaitwe reiterated the board’s support, saying investment in NWSC’s research and development would also benefit university students studying water and sanitation engineering by strengthening collaboration between academia and the utility.
Gates Foundation officials pledged support for Uganda’s preparations to host the IWA Water and Development Congress and Exhibition.
They said the foundation wanted to make an impact in Africa and viewed utilities such as NWSC as potential partners, describing the Ugandan corporation as a pace-setter in water and sanitation on the continent.