Wayout partners with ADD-OI to provide safe drinking water to the Indian Ocean islands

8 November 2022, Antananarivo, Madagascar: Award-winning sustain-tech company Wayout and ADD-OI, Forum on Sustainable Development of the Indian Ocean, have agreed to collaborate to bring Wayout’s eco-friendly technology to the Indian Ocean islanders. With the engagement of the Malagasy government, and support of the United Nations Development Programmes, the agreement was signed in Antananarivo, Madagascar, at the first Indian Ocean Sustainable Development Conference on November 4–5, 2022.

The agreement includes the deployment and installation of more than 120 Wayout systems to provide drinking water to approximately 500,000 Malagasy and help solve Madagascar’s and the Indian Ocean Island’s many drinking water-related challenges both upstream and downstream, such as water scarcity and water safety, as well as to create more than 4,500 green jobs.

The Indian Ocean Sustainable Development Conference (ADD-OI, Assises du Développement Durable de l’Océan Indien) took place in Antananarivo on November 4–5, 2022, as part of the IOC Presidency by Madagascar, and in response to the commitment made by the eight islands: Madagascar, Mayotte, Comoros, Mauritius, Seychelles, Reunion, Maldives, and Zanzibar, to actively fight climate change through concrete, targeted projects involving the eight islands as well as three partner countries: Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, and India. The conference is funded by the UNDP and the EU and supported by the Government of Madagascar.

Wayout International was given priority to collaborate by establishing sustainable water supply systems in the territory in partnership with the involved nations. The partnership between ADD-OI and Wayout includes implementing Wayout’s drinking water supply solution in Madagascar and the involved Indian Ocean Islands. Wayout’s innovative system is developed to increase drinking water safety by improving drinking water quality, availability, accessibility, affordability, sustainability and ethicality. A single Wayout system produces up to 9,000 litres of mineral water daily – enough to provide 3,000 persons with their daily need for drinking water – while simultaneously preventing up to 6.5 million plastic bottles and 700 tons of CO₂ from entering the ecosystem yearly.

The MoU identifies four priority areas for strategic collaboration; provide the highest quality affordable drinking water, create local green jobs and business opportunities, reduce the carbon footprint of long-distance water transport, and reduce terrestrial and marine plastic pollution.

Martin Renck, Chief Strategy Officer, Wayout International

“The prospects of collaborating with ADD-OI on these urgent matters, both for the region and the planet, are as humbling as they are energising. The organisation is highly determined and action-oriented, assuring a strong and steady process towards the goals of our partnership. That the island nations of the Indian Ocean take the lead on these pressing global concerns should be a motivator for the global north to wake up and follow suit”, said Ulf Stenerhag, CEO of Wayout, at signing the agreement.

“As the lead of ADD-OI, I am thrilled to see Wayout’s project selected as a pilot project. The core of that ambitious project might be life-changing for Indian Ocean islanders and includes sustainability parameters spanning island nations’ vulnerability. My wish is to see it deployed in Madagascar while creating decent jobs, involving women and youth, and giving access to water to needy populations.”, says Romy Andrianarisoa, CEO of TF261 and chief organiser of the ADD-OI conference.

The agreement between Wayout and ADD-OI is worth 150 Million USD. The first systems will be deployed to Madagascar in 2023.