Norfund is investing R160m in the South African water company Nafasi Water Technologies, a leading integrated developer and contractor serving the mining and public sectors across Southern Africa.
The investment, together with existing shareholder E Squared Investments, will support a sustainable platform for water infrastructure, focusing on mining‑affected catchment rehabilitation, municipal water reuse, and advanced water‑reclamation technologies. This will strengthen water security, support environmental recovery, and create skilled employment in Southern Africa.
Read the joint press release here
“By preventing polluted water from entering rivers and communities, Nafasi is addressing one of South Africa’s most pressing environmental challenges while creating jobs in building commercially viable solutions for the future. We are pleased to partner with a strong local team that combines technical capability with a clear ‑long-term vision,”
Carl Johan Wahlund
Senior Vice President for Green infrastructure at Norfund
Creating high-value and technical jobs
Nafasi develops, finances, builds, and operates water treatment facilities for industrial and public clients in Southern Africa. This includes large-scale seawater desalination projects, such as the Erongo Desalination Project in Namibia.
“We have been successful in deploying project-financed solutions to long-run, mining-impacted water rehabilitation projects, and as a natural progression, we now move into the Public Private partnership space. We are excited to partner with Norfund and E Squared as we now actively engage in bids for wastewater treatment and reuse,” says Suzie Nkambule CEO of Nafasi Water.
New opportunities in a circular economy
As part of their technology stack, Nafasi is able to recover useful chemicals from sludge and effluent left over from these treatment processes. This unlocks a novel circular economy to span water treatment, through to valuable chemical production from waste products.
“Nafasi’s management team has a proven track record in delivering complex projects, and we believe it is well positioned to scale effectively and capture new opportunities in an essential sector. We are proud to be supporting a tech leader that develops local expertise and are excited to follow and be a part of Nafasi’s journey” says Wahlund.