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Metito reinforces access to clean drinking water as a universal human right on World Water Day

– Metito highlights how small efforts in extending water reach can make a big difference and change lives for the better 

– Creating awareness about water scarcity and developing sustainable water solutions and projects across the world highlight Metito’s commitment to bridging the gap between water supply and demand        

22 March 2018: As part of its ongoing commitment to bridge the gap between depleting natural water supply and the increasing demand for clean and safe water, Metito, the global provider of intelligent water management solutions, calls to reinforce access to clean drinking water as a universal human right amidst extreme climate change unravelling an even more challenging global water scenario.

With 60 years of experience, Metito is at the forefront of the water and wastewater industry with an impressive project portfolio that includes over 3000 projects most of which are in the most arid regions in the world. In celebration of World Water Day 2018, Metito is highlighting how companies must lead by example and play an active role in spearheading knowledge transfer about water scarcity, mindful water use and wastewater recycling and reuse.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), half of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed areas by 2025. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and WHO reported that almost 663 million people lack access to an improved water source. These numbers can get worse with rising populations, urbanization and industrialization and with lack of sufficient knowledge among consumers about water scarcity, the importance of safe water access and the prospects of conflicts pertaining to water security.

This year, in the lead up to World Water Day, Metito continues to promote the importance of information dissemination and knowledge transfer on water scarcity, water safety and security as part of its CSR program which primarily targets school and university students. Through this program, Metito hosts workshops, presentations and site visits where students are introduced to the latest water statistics and the concept of water recycling and reuse, challenging youth to improve the water situation in their country of residence and around the world, by changing their personal water consumption habits.

“With this year’s theme ‘Nature for Water’, World Water Day emphasizes nature’s full capacity to solve existing water challenges in the 21st century but for this to happen in a sustainable manner, we must all play an active part to positively influence each other through knowledge sharing. We believe that knowledge is the most effective driver able to bring about positive change. Tapping into the youth, their unrestricted thinking space and fresh energy, is the focal point to our CSR agenda,” commented Mutaz Ghandour, Chairman and CEO at Metito.

Metito also partnered with Planet Water Foundation, a leading non-profit organization that addresses global water poverty by delivering clean water access and hygiene education programs, to construct and deploy a clean water filtration system, or AquaTower, in Montong Tangi, Indonesia. Metito employee volunteers from Jakarta will join the team at Montong Tangi, a rural village located on the island of Lombok, Indonesia, where contaminated wells pose challenges among the community members in terms of drinking water conditions and healthy lifestyle.

“We are very honored to be partnering with Metito on this very important World Water Day program in Indonesia,” said Nick Hill, Executive Chairman of Planet Water Foundation. “Metito is a valued contributor to our Project 24 alliance of organizations that share a commitment to ending global water poverty.”

Correspondently in the GCC, Metito most recently organized educational trips for students and teachers from Dubai’s Nord Anglia School, Hartland International School and India’s SIES College-Mumbai, showcasing the GCC’s first wastewater concession at Dubai Investment Park (DIP) as an exemplar project for water recycling and reuse. Metito also conducted a ‘Bring Your Kids to DIP’ special event for its employees to further promote the concept among its employee ambassadors and their families.

On the business front, Metito has also spearheaded sustainable iconic projects in Africa and the GCC including: the first Bulk Surface Water Supply Facility in Sub Saharan Africa, through public-private partnership, allowing the off-taker, Water and Sanitation Corporation, to secure potable water needs for Kigali and other towns; and King Abdullah Economic City seawater desalination mega plant partially powered by solar energy; Al Yosr, the largest desalination plant in Egypt serving potable water to over 500,000 residents; the treated sewage effluent, recycling and reuse wastewater plant to produce feed water for district cooling to serve Burj Khalifa and makeup water for the world’s largest choreographed fountain, the Dubai Fountain.

– Ends-

About Metito:

With a mission to sustain the world’s water resources, Metito provides effective water management and treatment systems that can reconcile the ever growing water demand and the dwindling natural resources. Committed to a cleaner environment, Metito endeavours to utilise its world-class global knowhow to provide millions of people across the globe access to clean and safe water.

Metito is at the forefront of the water and wastewater industry with an impressive project portfolio that includes more than 3000 projects in more than 46 countries worldwide through its strategically located offices with over 2500 experienced employees. For more information please visit metito.com

Metito:
Reem Saleh         
Reem.Saleh@metito.com

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi visits Galalah city mega seawater desalination plant being developed by Metito

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi embarked on an inspection tour last weekend of a number of urban and service projects being carried out at Mount Galalah between Ain Sokhna and Zafarana on the Red Sea coast, one of the country’s most important development.

Among the projects the Egyptian President visited was the mega seawater desalination plant with a 150,000 m3/day capacity that is being developed by Metito Egypt as a turnkey project – part of a joint venture with Orascom Construction. This plant is due to be in operation in Q4 2018.

Galalah city is one of the most ambitious projects in Egypt with the concept of becoming a world class touristic and residential destination. The entire city is located on 19,000 acres on top of the highest plateau of Galala Mountain with breath taking view over the Suez gulf. It is designed to include world class hotels, water entertainment parks, an international marina, a commercial and residential complex, and King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz University.

Metito team led by Metito Africa Managing Director, Karim Madwar, were honored to welcome President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and look forward to continue making this an exemplar project and a benchmark for similar mega desalination projects in Egypt and beyond.

Metito signs a project worth 220 Million Saudi Riyals to establish desalination plant and solar electricity generation in King Abdullah Economic City

King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) signed a contract with Metito Saudi Ltd for the design and construction of a seawater desalination plant powered by solar energy and valued at SAR220,404,144. Metito was awarded the project after competing with 10 international and regional companies for the tender.

The seawater treatment and desalination plant will start with the capacity to produce 30,000 cubic meters of drinking water per day, and expandable to 60,000 cubic meters per day. The development period of the project is 24 months, with a plan to start production in the first quarter of the year 2020. The new plant will be the second desalination plant in KAEC with an objective to increase the production capacity of drinking water to meet the needs of new projects and the growing population in the city, especially with the pilot operation of Al Haramain Express train.

Ahmed Ibrahim Linjawy, KAEC Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer, said: “This is a vital to KAEC’s water security and is consistent with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 for sustainable conservation of natural resources, water and clean energy use. The plant will also establish greater confidence between investors and the city, which continues to implement major projects to develop its infrastructure in all its different sectors, and will attract more investors to invest and gain a footing in KAEC knowing their water needs for industrial and commercial use is sustainably secured.”

Mutaz Ghandour, Metito Chairman and CEO said “King Abdullah Economic City’s investments in infrastructural projects that rely on sustainable resources such as desalinated water and solar energy marks another unique proposition for this iconic establishment and a clear reflection of a progressive and exemplar vision. Developing secure and sustainable water sources is critical to developing successful economic systems and ecosystems and to the establishing a broad range of enterprises such as; hotels, food industries, pharmaceuticals, and construction, which will now have bigger appetite to invest in the city. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has great potential and we expect that development will take a faster pace with the continuous investment in infrastructure which requires significant capital and synergistic partnerships with all relevant stakeholders. We look forward to working with our partners on this project and future ones and proud to play a role in such landmark projects in the region “.

Rami Ghandour in the Top 25 Global Water Leaders listing

Rami Ghandour, Metito Managing Director, among the Water & Wastewater International (WWi) ‘Top 25 Global Water Leaders’ list. Click here to see the full list: http://www.waterworld.com/articles/wwi/print/volume-32/issue-7/headline/leader-focus/top-25-global-water-leaders.html

The Top 25 Global Water Leaders initiative is now in its fourth year and to build the list if nominees, the organisation take nominations from an Advisory Board, made up of independent industry experts. The shortlisted executives are then listed and another round of voting by the WWi magazine readers is then initiated.  For this year following are the members of the Advisory Board:

  • Paul O’Callaghan, CEO, Bluetech Research, Ireland
  • Andrew Walker, Founder, BlueGold Marketing, Germany
  •  Leon Awerbuch, Leading Edge Technologies, US
  •  Natasha Wiseman, managing director, WiseonWater, UK
  •  Angela Godwin, Chief Editor, WaterWorld, US
  •  Keith Hays, Co-Founder, Bluefield Research, Spain
  •  David Lloyd Owen, managing director, Envisager, UK
  •  Graeme Pearce, Principal, Membrane Consultancy Associates, UK

CEO Magazine Interview

The inspiring story of how Metito started, the progressive vision of its founders and the values the Group commits to: Metito Chairman and CEO, Mutaz Ghandour, cover story in the CEO Magazine’s latest edition.

The Government of Rwanda and Metito Announce the Financial Close of the First Bulk Surface Water Supply PPP Project in Sub-Saharan Africa

  • The plant will provide 40 million litres a day of fresh and clean water, thereby 40% of the Kigali city’s potable water requirements.
  • A milestone in Rwanda’s progressive vision to build an economic, prosperous and first class developed country.
  • Secured and sustainable water supply will have a huge impact on the socio-economy of the country.

November 2017: the Government of Rwanda and Metito have today announced the Financial Close of the first competitively tendered Build Operate Transfer (BOT) Water Concession in Sub-Saharan Africa (outside of South Africa). The finalisation of this Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreement spells the start of execution of the highly-anticipated Kigali Bulk Water Supply Project with construction forecasted to last 30 months from the commencement date.

The Kigali Bulk Water Supply Project will be located in Kanzenze, in the South Eastern part of Kigali. The Project will provide 40 million litres per day of fresh, clean and safe water to the residents of Rwanda’s Capital city to serve domestic, commercial and industrial end users. The treated water will be extracted from the south bank of the Nyabarongo River and will supplement existing water supplies in a strategic move to meet Kigali’s growing water demands – a city with a population of over one million residents.

This iconic project is being developed by Kigali Water Limited (KWL), a fully owned subsidiary of Metito, a global provider for intelligent water management solutions with 60 years of experience developing and managing water facilities across the world covering four continents. KWL will design, build, maintain and operate the treatment plant and will then sell potable water to the Water & Sanitation Corporation of Rwanda (WASAC) under a 27- year PPP Agreement.

The Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF), a member of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG), is the mandated Lead Arranger of the financing of this project which is worth US$60.8 million. EAIF and The African Development Bank (AFDB) are covering US$40.6 million of the capital cost of the project; US$38 million of Senior Debt and US$2.6 million of Junior Debt with all loans on 18-year terms. The balance will be provided by Metito as equity finance. The Kigali Bulk Surface Water Supply PPP project also benefits from a US$6.25 million grant from PIDG’s Technical Assistance Facility (TAF).

The Kigali Bulk Water Supply Project was awarded to Metito through an international and competitive tender process, and the completion of its financing marks a historic moment and a milestone in Rwanda’s progressive vision to build an economic, prosperous and first class developed country. The successful Financial Close of a project of this size also highlights the effective partnership between the public and private sectors and is a landmark project that will pave the way to other similar capital intensive projects in Africa and a catalyst that can enhance the international investor community’s appetite to invest in Rwanda.

David White, Chairman of the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund says, “The conclusion of the financing is tremendous news for Rwanda. Fresh, clean water has a fundamental role to play in economic development and water-dependent businesses like hotels, food processing and leisure, will have greater confidence in investing in Kigali. The financing exercise has been a model of cooperation between EAIF, the AFDB, the Government of Rwanda, and Metito.”

Mutaz Ghandour, Metito Chairman and CEO, said, “The Kigali Bulk Surface Water Supply PPP project puts Rwanda on the map for the international investor community and marks a historic moment for Rwanda. Together, today, we are setting a precedent not only for Rwanda, but for the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa, and surely for Metito. Once complete, this will become an exemplar project for PPPs in the region – there is no doubt – so today, we must all celebrate alongside the People of Rwanda.

He added, “Africa has huge potential and we expect this to continue as critical infrastructure develops around the provision of key utilities. To undertake such capital intensive infrastructure projects, the PPP scheme remains to be the best, and sometimes unavoidable, formula, and Metito acknowledges this. Our global growth strategy aims at expanding our presence in Africa, and augmenting Metito’s well established and tested operations in North, West and now East Africa, and this remarkable project here in Kigali is in line with this strategy. The diligence and effort put into the structuring of the project and towards reaching Financial Close is outstanding, and we look forward to working with our partners on this project and other similar opportunities in Rwanda and the region. We are honored to be part of this.”

[ENDS]
For further information, please contact:
Metito
Reem Saleh +971506280031
reem.saleh@metito.com

About Metito
Metito is the leader and provider of choice for total intelligent water management solutions in the emerging markets with operations covering three business areas: design and build, specialty chemicals, and utilities. With 60 years of experience, the group provides customized, comprehensive and advanced solutions across the full spectrum of its industry; from clean to dirty water; desalination and re-use; industrial solutions (up to hyper pure water); investing into water and wastewater assets; and structuring both Greenfield and Brownfield schemes under project finance structures. With a mission to sustain the world’s water resources, Metito provides effective water management and treatment systems that can reconcile the ever growing water demand and the dwindling natural resources. Committed to a cleaner environment, Metito endeavours to utilise its world-class global knowhow to provide millions of people across the globe access to clean and safe water. Metito is at the forefront of the water and wastewater industry with an impressive project portfolio that includes more than 3000 projects in in more than 45 countries worldwide through its strategically located operational offices and over 2500 experienced and talented employees.

metito.com

Mutaz Ghandour Named Water’s Longest-Serving Chief Executive

Mutaz Ghandour, Metito Chairman and CEO, named the longest-serving Chief Executive in the Water Business as reported by Global Water Intelligence (GWI) .

Running long-term businesses need long-term leaders, and Mutaz Ghandour has been leading Metito Group successfully for more than 51 years demonstrating that there is no limits to success when there is a deep rooted vision and a committed leader who is able to inspire his people every day, everywhere.

Longest-Serving-Chief-Executive