Metito Inks Historic Agreement at COP28:  Pioneering Public-Private Partnership for Water Security in Kazakhstan

Metito, a global provider of intelligent water management solutions, has signed the Agreement on Principles with Kazakhstan Investment Development Fund (KIDF), Kazakhstan Centre for Modernization and Development of Housing and Communal Services JSC, and Akimat of Akmola region for the implementation of a transformative wastewater treatment project in the city of Kokshetau.

Signed in the Central Asia Pavilion at the 28th UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP28) last week in the presence of senior officials, including Kazakhstan Minister of Energy, Almassadam Satkaliyev, and Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Yerlan Nyssanbayev, the agreement is another key milestone in Metito’s expansion in Central Asia and marks the first Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in the water and wastewater sector in the Republic.

“Kazakhstan’s leadership is very forward-looking – President Kassym – Jomart Tokayev has stressed the importance of water security at multiple addresses throughout the year – including at COP 28 – highlighting the need for the accelerated introduction of water-saving technologies to mitigate a looming water crisis. We are honoured to partner with the government of Kazakhstan to support the realization of its water security goals through pioneering the first PPP of its kind in the Republic,” commented Rami Ghandour, Chief Executive Officer, Metito Utilities Limited.

“Partnering with top-tier global firms like Metito can facilitate investments, recruitment of skilled professionals and cutting-edge technologies, fostering the advancement and enhancement of sewage systems. Given Metito’s vast expertise across multiple countries, they can play a pivotal role in assisting Kazakhstan in its objectives related to wastewater treatment,” said Zhandos Temirgali, Acting Chairman of Kazakhstan’s national investment agency KAZAKH INVEST.

According to the United Nations Development Programme, Kazakhstan is experiencing shortages of water resources, with the country forecasted to face significant shortfalls amounting to 50% of its needs by 2040. Since almost all sectors of the economy depend on water, due to its deficiency in the region’s GDP water availability may decrease by 6% by 2050. Metito will be investing in the Kokshetau wastewater treatment project as a private developer and will conduct a comprehensive study and propose detailed solutions to the city and municipality.

“When it comes to developing such capital-intensive infrastructure projects, the Public-Private Partnership scheme remains to be the best formula. We are currently invested in nine PPP’s across multiple markets, and this marks our tenth partnership. We are confident that this project will become an exemplar one in the region setting a new benchmark, and we look forward to working closely with all stakeholders involved,” concluded Ghandour.