Water, Energy, and Sustainable Cities.
Delivering sustainable services that alleviate poverty, power economic growth, and advance social development
Regions: AfricaAsiaEurope and EurasiaLatin America and the CaribbeanMiddle East and North Africa
Global development problems aren't always simple and straightforward, so the solutions can't be either. Drawing on decades of experience, Chemonics takes a multidisciplinary approach to complex service delivery and infrastructure challenges in the water, energy, and urban sectors. We believe in developing equitable and sustainable services through innovative planning tools, capacity building, and policy and regulatory reform. Whether it's facilitating investments in renewable and clean energy systems in South Africa or partnering with coastal cities in Mozambique to adapt to climate change effects, we use innovative partnerships and technologies to develop scalable, integrated, and sustainable solutions.
Services in Water, Energy, and Sustainable Cities
Utility Regulation and Reform
Sustainable and Resilient Cities
Public Private Partnerships and Investment
01 Utility Regulation and Reform
Chemonics improves utility market operations and financial performance by helping stakeholders to operate in competitive markets with independent regulatory oversight. We provide technical assistance to design policy, legal, and regulatory frameworks for utility systems, as well as business support services to manage operations and assets efficiently. We also ensure economic sustainability through cost-of-service analyses to…
02 Sustainable and Resilient Cities
Chemonics works with municipal entities and local civic organizations to incorporate sustainability and resiliency principles into their approach to planning. We identify and support adoption of innovative technologies for economic and social adaptation and disaster response, as well as environmentally and socially beneficial urban growth.
03 Public Private Partnerships and Investment
We provide technical expertise to structure public-private partnerships and mitigate risks in investment. We help public and private entities access financing and emphasize the social and economic benefits that come when infrastructure is more resilient.
Chemonics builds capacity among public and private stakeholders for project management and construction oversight of new and rehabilitated infrastructure. We bring expertise in "green" infrastructure planning and design. We also provide comprehensive training programs to infrastructure operators and managers to ensure that utility services are sustainable.
Chemonics works with public and private entities at the local, national, and regional levels to make these groups more competitive and to make electricity markets more resilient based on conventional and low-carbon energy resources. We do this across generation, transmission, and distribution, providing support to unbundle integrated energy systems, increase investment, and improve distribution sector…
06 Water and Wastewater
With targeted technical assistance, Chemonics improves water and wastewater services, management, and facility development for public and private entities. Our work builds the capacity of local engineers, policymakers, and financial institutions to develop safe, clean, and sustainable water supply and wastewater treatment. In particular, we are improving regulatory and financial oversight to ensure that stressed…
07 Innovation and Technology
We work with stakeholders to design innovative solutions and leverage technology that will address complex development challenges. Our approach involves co-generating ideas, transforming them into pilots or prototypes, and testing and scaling these solutions to ensure they are both functional and meaningful. We shape our use of technology based on the Principles for Digital Development:…
Low-Emissions Development
Water Infrastructure Support
Small-Scale Low-Emissions Projects
Too Much, Too Little
Brian App
Michael Ashford
Kule Chitepo
Mauricio Gutierrez
Mario Kerby
Carlos Quintela
Scott Short
Jeff Wuorinen
Engaging the Private Sector in Green Infrastructure Development and Financing
Mozambique Coastal City Adaptation Project Final Report
Contract Completion Report: B+WISER
Our Work in Water, Energy, and Sustainable Cities
Practical Options to Accelerate Private Power Development in Sub-Saharan Africa
Lebanon WISE Final Report
Improving Water and Sanitation Services in the MENA Region Final Report
Clean Water for Egypt Final Report
Natural Resource Management and Water Security in Southern Africa
Improved natural resource management and increased access to safe drinking water and sanitation are essential to addressing human and ecosystem challenges in southern Africa.
Managing Water and Wastewater in Lebanon
The water and wastewater infrastructure in Lebanon needed improvements to deliver efficient, sustainable services to the country's citizens.
Turning on the Tap in the Middle East and North Africa
Certification programs for water plant operators are improving critical water and sanitation services in the Middle East and North Africa.
Helping the Maldives Face Climate Change
The Republic of the Maldives is determined to improve how its government and citizens prepare to deal with disasters related to climate change, such as rising sea levels and dangerous storms.
Supporting Water Sector Programs Around the World
USAID missions and country partners often require quick-response technical assistance to plan, design, and implement water sector programs.
Steps Toward Better Water Management in the Limpopo Basin
Water is essential to economic development, conservation, and population health, but managing water resources to balance these demands is challenging, particularly when multiple countries regulate, compete for, and depend on the same water supply.
Developing South Africa's Green Economy
Although climate change goals have been well articulated at the national level in South Africa, communication and collaboration between municipal, provincial, and national actors remains challenging.
Saving Biodiversity in the Philippines
With sustainable financing, enhanced-forest and protected-area management have turned the tide in the Philippines by promoting biodiversity and forest conservation.
Building a More Resilient Mozambique
Mozambique's coastal cities, which are some of the areas most vulnerable to climate change in Africa, must adapt to extreme weather and become more resilient.
Despite Challenges, Urban Microgrids Increase Resilience
Urban microgrids are high on the global development agenda. They are attractive for many reasons, most recently for their relevance to climate change adaptation and mitigation. They have proven resilient to extreme weather events, and, because they create commercial opportunities for low-carbon generation technology, they can reduce greenhouse gases from the urban sector in the…
Development Works Here with Brian App
We'd like you to meet Brian App! Brian is a natural resource management specialist with nearly 20 years of experience working in the environmental sector. From flipping through the pages of National Geographic to building more water-secure communities in Africa, he shares some of the highlights of his development journey. Brian is one reason #DevelopmentWorksHere.…
To Improve Water Management, Start Local
Rivers are the world's main source of clean drinking water, and their economic and environmental value are fundamental to the health of people and ecosystems. However, river basins face interrelated challenges — population growth, industrialization, urbanization, land use changes (including deforestation and land degradation), and changes in water quantity and quality. Climate change acts as…
3 Questions with Robyn Tompkins on Planning Strategically for WASH in Botswana
Robyn Tompkins is a water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) specialist based in Maun, Botswana. She is Botswana's national Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking Water (GLAAS) consultant and the senior WASH advisor to the USAID Resilient Waters Program. 1. What is the UN-Water Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking Water (GLAAS)…
3 Questions with Scott Short on Tackling WASH Challenges in Rural Communities
Scott Short is a water and natural resource specialist with more than 35 years of experience managing WASH and water security, institutional strengthening, and land and natural resource management programs. Prior to joining Chemonics, he served as chief of party for the USAID Ethiopia Lowland Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Activity (Lowland WASH) in Ethiopia. Pastoral…
Boosting Water Resiliency in the Middle East and North Africa with a Systems Approach
The State of Water in the Middle East and North Africa The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region contains some of the most water-stressed communities in the world. A combination of high population growth and rapid economic development have intensified the stress on water over the last 50 years. According to the United Nations…
Laying a Blueprint for Municipal Public-Private Energy Partnerships
Among the top emitters of greenhouse gases in the world, South Africa has redoubled its efforts to reduce emissions by expanding renewable energy generation. Several municipalities have set ambitious local clean energy goals that go beyond national targets. Yet, despite these ambitious aims, many municipalities in South Africa lack the technical capacity, access to finance,…
Learning from the Past: 3 Lessons for Future Water Partnerships
Safe and reliable access to water is a fundamental prerequisite for development. Despite gains made in improving water management and increasing access to water around the world, service providers continue to confront technical and financial resource deficits. International donors are increasingly highlighting the investment gap for infrastructure and services as a key impediment to achieving…
Less is More: How Cape Town Became a Model for Water Governance
As winter took its bite over the southern hemisphere, residents of Cape Town, South Africa, looked anxiously towards their rainy season. Cape Town, which entered a severe drought in 2017, urgently required consistent and above-average rainfall to avoid the looming threat of "Day Zero" returning in 2019 — the day when city authorities could potentially…
From Trickle to Flood: How Water Extremes Can Impact Health
In early 2018, drought-stricken Cape Town narrowly averted its "Day Zero," the day when taps in the city would have run dry. Reservoirs filled up just enough to avert an all-out water crisis, and "Day Zero" has now been pushed to 2019. Meanwhile, in 2016, 2017, and 2018, floods in South Asia, Africa, Europe, and…
Filling a Critical Gap in Afghanistan
In the context of Afghanistan, political instability, physical insecurity, and slow economic growth often limit the potential for private investment and partnership. As such, it's not so much about whether or not the government and donors are engaging with the private sector, but rather if they are using the right mechanisms at the right time…
Four Ways to Build Urban Resilience to Water Stress
The United Nations estimates that 68 percent of the world's population will be concentrated in urban centers by 2050. While water and sanitation access and delivery are generally higher in urban areas, cities still face significant challenges managing, operating, and expanding critical infrastructure, as well as ensuring the financial and environmental sustainability of municipal water…
News: Charting a New Course at #DevexWorld
How can the development community bring stakeholders together to achieve the SDGs? What does a successful public-private partnership look like in today's development landscape? These are some of the questions that Devex World aims to tackle on June 12 in Washington, D.C. Chemonics is proud to be a Changemaker Partner this year, sharing insight from…
Reflections on the Circular Economy
I had the recent good fortune of attending the 8th Session of the World Water Forum in Brazil — what a grand affair! There was a packed program full of fascinating technical sessions held in parallel; three huge marquee tents full of exhibitors from governments, international agencies, and companies; and local community groups, NGOs, and entrepreneurs engaging thousands…
News: Delving into Social and Behavior Change at the #SBCCSummit
Intractable development challenges demand solutions that shift norms, change behaviors, and amplify the voices of those who have the most at stake. Social and behavior change communication (SBCC) make these solutions possible. At the 2018 International SBCC Summit — Shifting Norms, Changing Behavior, Amplifying Voice: What Works? — global practitioners convene to explore what works…
News: Chemonics Announces New Corporate Diversity and Inclusion Director
Chemonics International has named Francesca Molinaro director of corporate diversity and inclusion. Molinaro joins Chemonics with more than 18 years of experience designing and implementing strategic diversity and inclusion (D&I), leadership and organizational development and change management initiatives. She has a strong consulting background with vast experience in the international development sector. In this newly…
Can Jordan Beat Water Scarcity Without Desalination?
Water scarcity is nothing new to the Middle East. In fact, many would say that water — or the lack of it — has shaped its very history and culture. Looking forward, water will continue to play a pivotal role for this arid region of the world. Aging water infrastructure and increasingly uncertain climate events…
News: Chemonics at the International Water Summit
Part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, the International Water Summit is an opportunity for diverse stakeholders to come together to discuss water sustainability in arid regions. From January 15 to 18, Chemonics will join others in the field to explore innovations in the water sector. Chemonics experts will lead and participate in discussions through two…
Top 10 Blog Posts of 2017
From thinking and working politically to going viral with a shipment of watermelons, Chemonics' staff have shared diverse opinions, insights, and technical approaches on our blog. Here are the 10 most popular blog posts in 2017: 10. Politics Matter: How Implementers Can Do Development Differently by Jennifer Swift-Morgan, director in Chemonics' West and Central Africa and Haiti Division…