GLASGOW, Scotland — National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) Managing Director Dr. Eng. Silver Mugisha has urged Danish pump manufacturer Grundfos to partner with the National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) to produce pumps and spare parts locally in Uganda.
Dr. Mugisha made the push during high-level meetings on the sidelines of the International Water Association (IWA) World Water Congress and Exhibition in Glasgow.
Dr. Mugisha noted that NWSC currently imports the vast majority of its pump spares, leading to prolonged operational downtime.
“For sustainability, if I work with you, I should be able to get your parts locally and not endure long waits to get parts from abroad,” Dr. Mugisha told Grundfos executives. “With NEC producing these spares, we can have a network supplying Africa.”
He proposed that Grundfos establish an in-house assembly plant with NEC, co-design energy-efficient hydraulic systems tailored to East Africa, and collaborate on prepaid metering technology. He also called on Grundfos to support electromechanical skills training for local engineers and back the African Water and Sanitation Academy.
Grundfos officials welcomed the dialogue, proposing a recovery model tied to operational energy savings, and pledged to explore smart, self-diagnosing pump systems. Dr. Rose Kaggwa, NWSC Senior Director of Business and Scientific Services, invited Grundfos to serve as the principal sponsor for the upcoming IWA Water and Development Congress and Exhibition scheduled for Uganda in November 2027. NWSC Board Chairman Prof. Eng. Dr. Henry Alinaitwe formally committed board backing to the proposals.
In separate talks with World Bank representatives, Dr. Mugisha presented NWSC’s audited financial statements to highlight the utility’s creditworthiness. He emphasized the urgent need to transition away from expensive debt toward long-term, low-cost financing channeled partly via local commercial banks.
According to available information Core Priorities include funds are earmarked for infrastructure scaling, energy optimization, sanitation programs, and non-revenue water reduction.
Dr. Mugisha stressed that World Bank assistance must allow NWSC to handle its own engineering designs, deploy community-based models, and contract affordably.
World Bank officials commended NWSC’s track record, promised a formal risk and due-diligence assessment, and expressed openness to working through local Ugandan financial institutions. NWSC Deputy Managing Director of Finance and Corporate Strategy, Francis Owot, affirmed the corporation’s readiness to manage the funds transparently alongside the Ministry of Finance.
Engaging with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Dr. Mugisha sought financial and technical backing for NWSC’s expanding research and development (R&D) unit, on-site sanitation projects, sludge management solutions, and the 50 Towns Water Supply Improvement Project.
He pointed out that rapid urbanization is stretching water demand past current capacity in secondary towns, making the 50 Towns initiative critical for regional resilience. He also asked the foundation to bolster the African Water and Sanitation Academy hosted in Uganda.
Prof. Alinaitwe noted that strengthening NWSC’s R&D framework will create direct academic-industry pipelines for university engineering students. Gates Foundation representatives praised NWSC as a continental pace-setter and committed support toward Uganda’s hosting of the 2027 IWA congress.
