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– 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 21^st 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.

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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

• 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, 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.

GWI lists the largest portfolio of privately financed water/wastewater treatment plants around the world

GWI publishes the list of companies having the biggest interests in municipal build-operate-transfer and build-own-operate water and wastewater treatment plants in its latest edition, October 2016.

The list is based on equity ownership of total capacity (i.e. the total of capacity of projects in which a company has an equity interest, multiplied by the percentage share of the project company that they own in each case). It is a pretty rough measure, and in Metito’s case conservative, but GWI clearly states that it is the best estimation based on the data available. Looking at active non- Chinese developers only, the leaderboard* was published to be: 1) Suez; 2) Veolia; 3) Tedagua; 4) Engie; 5) Acciona; 6) Biwater; 7) Hyflux; 8) Metito; 9) Mitsui; 10) Sembcorp.

*For the complete list please check the latest issue of GWI newsletter– October 2016 edition.

150 students attend Metito’ s workshop at Rashid School for Boys in Dubai

November, 2015: Emirates Environmental Group (EEG) held its annual Student’s Workshop under the theme; “Global Environmental Challenges – From Green Attitude to Green Action” at Rashid School for Boys in Dubai, UAE. Metito was invited to lead a session covering one of the most important environmental challenges facing the world today; water conservation.

Representing Metito at the workshop were; Hans Meu, Metito Utilities General Manager; Reem Saleh, Metito Corporate Communication Senior Manager and Alaa Waswas, Metito Corporate Communication Executive.

To break the ice , Metito presented students with an individual challenge where they were asked to make up a sentence after putting together, in order , 17 words to form a coherent statement on why we must all conserve water. After announcing the first winner and presenting her with an instant prize the room was buzzing with excitement. A good start for what turned out to be a successful engagement.

Hans then presented an overview on ‘Innovations in wastewater treatment and sustainable solutions’ where he highlighted how water recycling and reuse can change the world and further help in conserving water. The presentation was then followed by Q&As and a group challenge. Thirty groups, made up of 5 senior students each, from over 100 schools across different emirates in the UAE took part in this activity and three teams were announced the winners.

The workshop was very successful and we had a lot of positive feedback from school team leaders, EEG and the students.

“Environmental issues are global concern gaining momentum in recent times. They’re no longer limited by geography of a region or nations. What happens in one country eventually happens to all of us. We all need to tackle these issues and it is imperative that we extend these discussions to the community to empower them to take responsibility for creating a sustainable future. . It is very important for us to involve students in these discussions as they are our future. Metito has played a key role in addressing the issues around waste water and promoting sustainable development for all, and we hope to continue such collaborations for years to come.” commented Habiba Al Marashi, Chairperson EEG, President/CEO, Arabia CSR Network and GRI Stakeholder Council Member.

Summit endorsed by the Egyptian Government and under the auspices of the Prime Minister of Egypt

October, 2015: Held under the auspices of the Prime Minister of Egypt, H.E. Sherif Ismail, the 3rd Annual PPP Investment Summit organized by IQPC was held in Cairo, Egypt.
The summit was held at Four Seasons Hotel – Nile Plaza in Cairo with significant representation from the Egyptian Government and remarkable attendance by senior government officials, leading bankers and established service providers in Egypt.

Atter Hannoura, Director of the PPP Central Unit, Ministry of Finance sincerely welcomed Metito’s team sincerely greeting the at the venue. Representing Metito at the event were; Karim Madwar, Metito Africa Managing Director, Salah Degheidy, Metito Africa Executive Director and Ahmed Zaky, Metito Africa Business Development Manager. The team was also joined by Walid Madwar, Metito Utilities Vice President Business Development, who was also a panelist in the session titled; Project sector focus: Wastewater and desalination sector presentation and panel

The PPP Central Unit at the Egyptian Ministry of Finance has been spearheading the Government’s efforts to identify tenable infrastructure projects that would substantially improve the quality of services provided to the citizens and to entice private sector financial and execution support. This summit provided yet another platform to address key challenges to further evolve the PPP model in Egypt, insights into the latest strategies taken by the Ministry to overcome these challenges. It was also a well communicated venue to make new project announcements and engage with key industry players including Metito.

Metito’s booth was a center of attraction to the summit attendees with a wide screen showcasing key projects and other collateral that showcased our commitment to the environment and to developing communities such as that of Egypt.

The event was also sponsored by Orascom Construction, Al Tamimi & CO., Zaki Hashim & Partners, QNB Al Ahli bank, and Huawei.

Long-term attributes of Islamic finance ideally suited to water industry development

October 27th, Dubai-UAE: Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB), the largest Islamic bank in the UAE and Metito, the leading provider of intelligent water management solutions in the emerging markets , have recently signed a 10-year Islamic financing agreement for AED 240million. This is Metito’s first Islamic finance agreement and DIB’s debut partnership with a private company working in the water and wastewater industry.

The transaction is another step in expanding Islamic finance into sectors and institutions previously catered to by the conventional form of banking. DIB is successfully advocating the agenda of making Islamic finance a norm in the global banking industry and this deal is a testament to the visionary leadership and the meticulously crafted strategic agenda of the largest Islamic bank in the country.

Commenting on the agreement, Dr. Adnan Chilwan, Group CEO of Dubai Islamic Bank, said: “Clearly the region, and in particular, UAE is witnessing renewed economic momentum with infrastructure development attracting local and international investors. In our view, primary infrastructure development projects are the cornerstone of sustainable growth, a key element of the strategy of the country. DIB has always played a pivotal role in leading and facilitating such transactions and is linked to many landmark deals with some of the top corporates across the UAE and beyond. Metito’s business model and their long-term strategic vision, ties in well with DIB’s own growth plans, and further solidifies our position as a bank of choice in this sector.”

The long-term attributes of Islamic finance also makes it ideally suited for the sustainable nature of the water sector, with many projects lasting decades and requiring on-going finance at competitive rates.

Commenting on the partnership, Mutaz Ghandour, Chairman and CEO, Metito, said: “I am very pleased to have DIB as our first Islamic finance partner. DIB is an innovator in its field – just like Metito is in its sector, making this transaction, and this partnership ideal. The water sector is very cost intensive, and the term length of the projects generally can be prohibitive for many financers, but, by approaching the deal with an innovative and solution-focused mindset, DIB turned this challenge into an opportunity.

“This clarity of vision allowed Metito to embrace Islamic finance – for the very first time – and to root for it within the water and wastewater sector through promoting DIB in the markets where we already have local presence and the bank sees potential,” he added.

Synergy Consulting, Latham & Watkins, and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP have all played a role in making this transaction possible and finalised in a record time.

Commenting on the transaction, Anand Rohatgi, Senior Vice President, Synergy Consulting, said: “We are pleased to act as the financial and transaction advisor for this landmark transaction. Metito’s significant experience in the water sector, DIB’s clear understanding of Islamic financing and project’s operating track record were the key drivers for the successful closure of the transaction. The transaction also provides opportunity for Metito and DIB to build on and further strengthen their relationship by partnering in other geographies that are in line with their growth plans.”

The value of assets belonging to Islamic finance is forecast to increase by 80 percent to reach US$3.24 trillion by 2020 according to the Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre (DIEDC) and Thomson Reuters State of Global Islamic Economy (SGIE) report and landmark deals such as this one are critical in supporting the leadership’s agenda of establishing Dubai as the global capital of Islamic economy.