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Together for more climate protection Wilo, and the Wilo Foundation, have contributed F180,000, plus technological support, towards the development of a pilot project in N’diob in Senegal, to provide electricity and other modern technologies, including clean drinking water, to the local community. The project entails establishing so-called ImpactSites that not only provide essentials, but also support the establishment of self-sufficient organic agricultural communities, independent of imports. The initiative is being done in partnership with Africa GreenTec, a German social enterprise that helps people in the “global south” to achieve more self-determination and growth through sustainable energy solutions. “Together with our international network partners, we are driving forward future-oriented, climatefriendly solutions,” says Oliver
Hermes, President and CEO of the Wilo Group. “By signing the UN Global Compact in 2018, we underlined our commitment towards contributing to the international sustainability goals. The project in Senegal is a visible expression of this ambition.” In 2019, Wilo Group was selected by the UN to be part of the exclusive global network “50 Sustainable & Climate Leaders”. “Consequently,” says Derek Elton, Managing Director, Wilo Ireland, “we are responding to a world full of complex and multilayered challenges in several ways
ImpactSites aim to improve peoples’ lives through sustainable electricity and clean drinking water. Source: Africa GreenTec
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– both with product innovations and with our active engagement in co-operations and networks. One thing is clear to us: together you can achieve and change much more than alone.” ImpactSites involved a re-thinking of electricity and the development of an intelligent system that withstands the harsh conditions of Africa’s offgrid regions that far exceeds today’s European standards. It relies on a comprehensive portfolio of products and service solutions such as stateof-the-art solar technology, smart meters, cooling systems, water treatment and internet access. Secure water supply The secure supply of energy and clean drinking water is one of the major global challenges of our time, especially in the 49 countries of sub-Saharan Africa. As part of its explicit sustainability strategy, the Wilo Group is committed to the goal of providing 100 million people with access to clean water by 2025. Wilo is sponsoring this ambitious programme in cooperation with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Senegalese government, the community of N’Diob in central Senegal, and with scientific support from the Technical University of Munich. “We are pleased to act alongside experienced partners and proven experts in order to make a concrete contribution to the well-being of the people in the region,” says Derek Elton. “The BMZ has established a conceptual umbrella for the sustainable development of the population with the Marshall Plan for Africa. Through cooperation with partners who are already established locally, such as Africa GreenTec, we offer pragmatic solutions that improve peoples’ living conditions, create prospects and minimise the causes of forced migration.” Q
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