Much like in 2023, the water sector will face daunting challenges, operating in a volatile environment and wrestling to do more with less. But excellence has found a home in our region, change for the better is gathering traction, and if you are under 36 and happen to have an idea with serious potential to solve a pressing water issue, please read on, compete for your spot in a World Bank accelerator program, and grab your place at the spearhead of change.

Five years ago, the World Bank teamed launched a program titled Utility of the Future, or, short, UoF. In pursuit of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 – universal access to safely managed water and sanitation services - the UoF program takes a “grassroots” approach to improving the water sector everywhere in the world, aiming at strengthening individual utilities as the essential drivers of sustainable progress and guardians of efficient investments and sustainable infrastructures.

To this end, Utility of the Future takes a novel approach that involves tailored assistance to utilities to trigger sustainable performance improvements. It uses participatory methods, engaging and empowering utility teams to transform their utility, optimize essential processes, and develop future-thinking capabilities in order to improve service delivery.

The related process builds on an in-depth analysis of the utility, leading to a 100-day action plan identifying short-term, “quick-win” measures, and culminating in a five-year strategic plan to improve performance. A total of 85 utilities in 33 countries have already received UoF support to date, with promising results around the world. The UoF Program also supports long-term strategic developments such as mergers of several utilities into a new, regional entity.

Last year, the Utility of the Future Program saw an important expansion: The World Bank, in partnership with the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, established the Utility of the Future Center of Excellence (UoF-CoE) in Tirana, Albania. The Center of Excellence complements existing capacity development efforts in the region, such as the Danube Learning Partnership (D-LeaP) and the Regional Capacity Development Network (RCDN). It operates on four pillars:

• an operations center to manage and implement the UoF Global Program, engaging in demand-driven provision of “soft” corporate development and change management support worldwide;
• a knowledge and innovation hub pushing performance improvement now-how and service innovations, and connecting utilities and water stakeholders at local, regional, and global levels;
• a financing facility giving access to performance-based grants for “‘quick-win”’ measures to improve performance and boost sustainability of water and sanitation utilities in the Western Balkans; and
• a project incubator to identify needs and opportunities for further support and to help utilities in the Western Balkans in the preparation of strategic infrastructure investments.

This is a proud achievement for our region, and a promise for the water sector in the Western Balkan, where many countries have introduced far-reaching reforms to achieve sustainable improvements of infrastructures and services.

Which brings us to a personal question, dear reader: Are you under 36, and do you have what it takes to spearhead changes for the better, most importantly an innovative business idea that qualifies you as an Aquapreneur? In that case you are invited to apply by February 23, 2024, with their innovative solutions tackling one or more of the four most pressing global water challenges: “too much water” - “too little water” – “contaminated water” – “mismanaged water”.

Follow the link below to learn more and make your application. Enter to win access to a 6-month Accelerator Program that provides one-on-one mentoring by successful Water Tech CEOs. And make 2024 your year!