New Year’s Greetings: Our ten-year anniversary!

You heard right, it’s ten years since ODIAL SOLUTIONS group was founded! We became independent of VERGNET SA in August 2014 and set out for the world of village water systems in Africa.
So what have we been up to over the last decade? What changes have taken place?

In short, three types of changes have occurred:

Firstly, the technical solutions have progressed. We confirmed our positioning on the market for drinking water supply systems of all sizes, aiming to meet the needs of villagers, who are increasingly calling for improved water services. However, we need to bear in mind that the human-powered pump market is still alive and kicking, and that this solution is the only economically viable option in terms of maintenance costs and long-lasting service in small villages. We have also moved from a product-based approach towards a project-based approach in order to manage the entire infrastructure installation chain and guarantee both water quality and construction lead times.

Our role has changed. We started out as an equipment manufacturer and diversified to include services. We saw a real need to provide sustainable business management solutions for the systems we install. Several financial backers and governments have made commitments to support this process, encouraging our strategy.

And finally, new business models are now used. We have moved from a market based entirely on public subsidiaries for development projects, which are complex to manage and, above all, not guaranteed, to a wider range of funding sources, which helps put our operations on a more stable and predictable footing. We designed and developed a new business model for funding water supplies in rural areas while improving services.

And to conclude, we doubled our turnover between 2014 and 2024, from €10m to €20m.

How does the next decade look?

We are approaching the future with clarity and conviction. Africa is portrayed as the continent of the future, but it has faced multiple upsets for a range of reasons in recent years, with relatively extensive consequences, hampering our ability to provide support to people, particularly in rural areas. Nonetheless, these people will lead the way in the future.

We hope that the new landscape forged by these changes will drive progress in Africa and bring the stability required for future developments. After this point, we will need to adapt so that we can work efficiently in the new configuration.

Our drive to succeed remains unchecked, we have the confidence we need to move forward and we remain convinced that common sense will win the day.
Perseverance, commitment, drive and trust are our key values.

I wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year!
Best Regards

Thierry BARBOTTE
Chairman, ODIAL SOLUTIONS