Checking in with our epA 2019 winners – a blog series: WASHKing
Below is an interview with Dieudonne Kwame Agudah, CEO of WASHKing.
Local children happily playing in front of WASHKing’s biodigester toilet.
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Dieudonne: WASHKing is a social sanitation enterprise providing low-income and under-served communities with access to sanitation products at an affordable price. WASHKing produces, supplies and installs accessible and eco-friendly high-quality biodigester toilets built locally by artisans and using regionally available materials. Flexible payment terms, training on hygiene and after-sales services, and technical and vocational education and training on high-in-demand skills along the sanitation value chain complement the package.
Where we do operate and why?
Dieudonne: To begin with, winning the empowering people. Award 2019 was not only an important achievement for us, but also, we believe it came at the right time to enhance credibility, exposure and opportunities not only in Ghana but beyond. The award really showcased to the world the important work we are doing to bring crucial positive social, economic and environmental impacts for communities and society at large.
Dieudonne in a meeting with the Dutch ambassador.
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A newly-finished biodigester toilet featuring two seat types.
Siemens Stiftung: What has been your biggest success, personally or professionally, since then?
Dieudonne: As I mentioned, winning the award has helped us attain other important successes. Among them is doubling of our positive impacts on communities by building more toilets. Previously, we had built a little more than 200 toilets. But now we have built over 450 toilets, positively impacting over 4,500 low-income and under-served people. Through this, we have: provided more job opportunities and improved income, improved health conditions and well being, enhanced access to better sanitation, water and environmental surroundings, and empowered communities to be productive and break away from the cycle of poverty.
Dieudonne: There are some key activities we are presently undertaking to ensure that we grow sustainably and continue to make more triple-bottom-line impacts (social, environmental and economic) by building more improved toilets, as well as significantly contributing to local implementation of sustainable development goals. Notable among them are: (1) deployment of electronic lock service-toilet (PAYGO toilet) to unlock uninterrupted access to good sanitation to all, especially low-income customers; (2) the establishment of a revolving fund for financing costs related to toilet construction;
Laying the foundation for a new toilet – an important part of any construction project.
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We have future plans for the next 10 years aimed at sustainable expansion and growth to make more sustainable impact. This includes the following:
- Setting up an effective supply chain;
- Regional and international expansion (i.e., Sierra Leone and Nigeria), and;
- Develop a strong base of key: employees, partners and customers to, for example, improve impact:
- Build >40,000 toilets
- Create >320,000 job opportunities
- Improve health and productivity of >400,000 under-served and low-income people
- Train >1,000 Master Sanitation Artisan Apprentices
- Support >500 Apprentice Sanipreneurs
- Increase assets and investments (i.e. ICT and improved R&D) to support development of services to better sell, track, optimize and get regular feedback to well serve low-income people.
A selfie with some of WASHKing’s team members. Working hard every day to bring better sanitation to Ghanaians.
Siemens Stiftung: With your membership, in what way(s) do you hope to benefit from epN? And if applicable, how have you already gained from your connection to the ecosystem?
Dieudonne: Among the things that inspired us to apply for the epAward 2019 is the fact that we would have access to a strong support system, network and investments to be able to achieve our organizational goals. The support from everyone in the network has been very helpful, inspiring and game-changing. Additionally, our involvement has really helped us to continually access information on relevant opportunities (i.e., funding, skills training, and knowledge) and expert support to scale our impact and grow our business sustainably. For instance, we have recently applied for a growth funding opportunity which was exclusively made available to epN members. Besides, Siemens Stiftung is presently supporting us with expert assistance to help improve the design of our toilet technologies.
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