A CSR 2018 action plan Promoting the principles We were there ODIAL SOLUTIONS is a corporate group, first of the United Nations FEBRUARY 2018 and foremost. Addressing the requirements of its • National Water and Sanitation Forum 02 customers, consolidating the loyalty of Global Compact in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) 2019 employees and partners, promoting its image • Congress of the African Water Association 2018 marks a turning N° The letter and reducing its management costs: these are in Bamako (Mali) among its daily concerns. point. Although MARCH 2018 Constructing a Corporate Social Responsibility VERGNET HYDRO has • World Water Forum (CSR) approach helps us to rise to all of these subscribed to the in Brasilia (Brazil) UNITED NATIONS Odial Solutions challenges. CSR will naturally be at the heart of • Water Fair in Fada the group strategy for the period 2018-2023. GLOBAL COMPACT N’Gourma (Burkina Faso) since 2011, ODIAL MAY 2018 For this reason, SOLUTIONS has now chosen • UNICEF WASH Financing the group has put to sign up the entire group, including all its in West and Central Africa in place a CSR subsidiaries, to the promotion of the 10 principles Forum in Dakar (Senegal) 2018 plan of the GLOBAL COMPACT. ODIAL SOLUTIONS is • National Water Week Conference 2018 in comprising 32 also undertaking to engage its partners in this Dosso (Niger) actions. Each process. • IFAT Trade Fair in Munich (Germany) employee is a AUGUST 2018 pilot of at least On 22 January 2018, ODIAL SOLUTIONS publi- • World Water Week in Stockholm (Sweden) Odial Solutions one action. shed its COMMUNICATION ON PROGRESS 2018. OCTOBER 2018 • Africa Water Week in Libreville (Gabon) >>> Find out more: NOVEMBER 2018 www.unglobalcompact.org • Pollutec Trade Fair in Lyon (France) DECEMBER 2018 • Energaïa Trade Fair in Montpellier (France) HUMAN RESOURCES New arrivals Is the "all-solar" dream possible? Nadim CHARARA Youssouf SIDIBE Engineer in Integrated Water Resources Management, With his legal training background, a vocation for taking action And if so, by when? Nadim has worked for five years in the rural hydraulics in community development, and a taste for work in the field, sector in Africa. He has been Director of a drilling company for the past five years Youssouf was organiser then regional in Congo Brazzaville and installed solar power systems for coordinator of a company delivering a supply service, The desire to improve water services in the small villages of Africa supplying water in Ivory Coast. Since October 2018, he has by mobile payment, for fertiliser and seed in the rural zones is impelling more and more stakeholders to look increasingly towards been Director of SAHER, the Ivorian subsidiary of of Mali. In December 2018, he joined UDUMA MALI as VERGNET HYDRO. Projects Officer. solar pumping in stead of manual pumping. The objective is laudable, since the aim is to facilitate the lives of users by means of a more modern technical solution. However, at a time in which the sustainability of systems is Cheick DIAKITE put forward as being paramount, it may be useful to analyse the situation With a Master's degree in Hydraulics, Cheick has been by taking into account both the technical and the economic aspects pursuing his career in the water sector for three years and has worked in Niger, Burkina Faso and the Democratic Republic simultaneously, rather than considering them separately. of the Congo (DRC). He was Zone Coordinator in an Internal moves engineering department then WASH Project Manager in an NGO in DRC, before joining the VERGNET BURKINA team as Projects Officer in October 2018. Najib BENAZOUZ After three fulfilling years as project manager, Najib was keen Solar energy: an energy with limits to its durability economic equilibrium of the system depend on the balance between to take on more responsibilities by taking part in the the operating costs and the water consumption at the point of distri- ree and infinitely available on a human scale: these features of development of VERGNET HYDRO. He therefore seized the bution. Envisaging the systematic replacement of manual pumps with solar energy are necessary prerequisites for the sustainability of Sébastien MARC opportunity to take up the post of Area Sales Manager, which has solar pumps, without resolving this issue, would at best be risky, at This graduate in mechanical engineering has, enabled him to discover a job more suited to him, and get closer solar systems, although they alone do not suffice. worst catastrophic. Under these conditions, how can we speak of for the past 10 years, worked in the renewable energies sector. to the action on the ground. Let us consider first the technical aspects. Even if solar panels sustainability if we disregard the system's economic equation? Would His desire to continue in this vein, particularly on the African F this not mean reproducing the errors of the past? continent, led him to join our team. Since March 2018 he has come with a 25-year guarantee for the preservation of 80% of the been R&D Manager for VERGNET HYDRO. productivity rate, with complex implementing modalities, the other Mikaël DUPUIS system components offer, at best, 1 to 2-year guarantees, with An equation to be resolved technologically With several years of expatriation under his belt, the last of lifetimes that remain as yet undetermined. Replacement of these and economically which he spent as Director of SAHER, the VERGNET HYDRO components must therefore be taken into account. Constantine MATARUSE subsidiary in Ivory Coast, Mikaël decided to return to group Solar energy is undoubtedly a solution for the future of Africa, but it is Active for 12 years in South Africa, Constantine has 20 years of HQ to seize the opportunity there to develop ambitious From an economic point of view, beyond the initial investment which not a miracle cure. We need to maintain a rational approach, and above experience in sales, marketing and communication in various drinking water management projects within the young and remains more significant compared to manual pumps, replacing these all qualify the economic limits of the model. For now, our estimates, sectors and on national and international markets. dynamic UDUMA company, as Business Development Manager. technical components and delegating operation and management to Of Zimbabwean nationality but residing in Johannesburg, based on the current solar technologies and average consumption, a professional come at a cost that has to be borne by the users, and he has been, since November 2018, the Area Sales Manager leave us sceptical about the economic viability of solar solutions for of VERGNET HYDRO for southern Africa. will therefore be reflected in the water service tariffs incorporated in small centres comprising just a few hundred, or indeed a few thousand Audrey INGELBRECHT the selling price of the water service. inhabitants. Drawing on our experience, the experience of our Having occupied the post of Administrative Assistant then partners and our daily observations of the users, we are currently Administrative & Commercial Assistant, thanks to the seeking solutions to solve this difficult equation and determine the Oumar MIKOTA-KONARE company's development and her experience in human Reliability and viability: the conditions of limits and conditions of viability of these systems. It is only by doing State Engineer and holder of an MBA, Oumar was Head resources in the French Army, in January 2018 Audrey a water service of the Liaison Office and monitoring and evaluation became Human Resources Officer and Assistant to this that we will be able to extend more widely, and without compro- While the maintenance costs of manual pumps are relatively under coordinator for an NGO consortium development project the CFO. mising the sustainability of the systems and services, the use of solar in the Sahel, then Head of Department of a major NGO control today, covering these costs by water service sales remains pumping solutions, including to small villages of only 400 inhabitants. in Mali. Oumar joins UDUMA MALI as Coordinator dependent on deploying reliable technical solutions and optimised in December 2018. management systems. Operating costs of a solar-powered system It is important to remember 'more haste,less speed!' Joël MENAGER therefore need to be estimated, along with the impact of an improved After 10 years working in the engineering department of service on consumption. Since maintaining an affordable water service VERGNET HYDRO, Joël has taken up the opportunity to pursue Thierry BARBOTTE tariff is necessary to ensure no one is excluded, the viability and the CEO, ODIAL SOLUTIONS Audrey QUENTIN his career as Projects Officer. His field experience and Holder of a Trilingual Assistant BTS diploma, Audrey was in knowledge of VERGNET HYDRO products make him ideally the French Air Force for six years. This experience gave her placed to respond to our customers' demands. the opportunity to travel abroad, in particular in Africa. In 400 400 2000 February 2018, she joined ODIAL SOLUTIONS as a People People People Management Assistant. Odial Solutions The letter Odial Solutions 6, rue Lavoisier • 45140 Ingré - France Tél. +33 (0)2 38 22 75 10 • Fax +33 (0)2 38 22 75 22 02 PAGE 4 www.odial-solutions.fr N°2019 2018 : achievements… ...and strategic progress. MALI : BURKINA FASO : The PSD agreement between the competent BIANNUAL MONITORING 100,000 villagers supplied with More than 200,000 customers authorities and UDUMA determines, among OF WATER QUALITY at all the other things, the delegation period (between drinking water using solar energy for a sustainable drinking water 10 and 15 years), the tariff, and the standards of managed boreholes SERVICES en zone isolée service REMOTE AREA SERVICES the service to be delivered. This type of contract The consortium comprising VERGNET HYDRO The ground water borehole is the main source presupposes the existence of a legal context and the Mali-based companies MTCS and ATC of drinking water for the villagers served that is favourable to public-private partnerships MALI is installing 269 water distribution points by UDUMA.