Water is a very crucial resource for Tanzania, and it is valid to say Tanzania has a significant supply of water, with almost 126 billion cubic meters of water resources. This means the East African nation has a huge potential to advance water security to its population of more than 54 million.
As the world gets integrated via advanced diplomatic relations, modern technology and scientific breakthroughs, vital aspects of life, too, improve from that. This means Tanzania’s water scientists, digital technology experts and think-tanks get a chance to work with United Kingdom’s Cambridge University scientists to develop robust digital water access products.
Water scenario in Tanzania
According to the Ministry of Water, demand for domestic, irrigation and industrial use stands at 40 billion cubic meters per year, and the ministry projects the demand could shoot up to an average of 57 billion cubic meters per year.
This translates into Tanzania having a significant duty to extend the availability of safe water to its citizens, per its 2002 water policy and development vision 2025.
In that context, Tanzania is currently executing over 500 water projects in rural areas, intended to serve over 1,539,509 people within 880 villages nationwide.
Over 70 per cent of rural dwellers get safe and clean water compared to 47 per cent five years ago, while 84 per cent of urban dwellers get access to water compared to 74 per cent in 2015.
As Tanzania pours in over $270 million into the water sector in the 2018/2020 financial year, other stakeholders in the private sector have thrown in their talents to ensure the next decade finds Tanzania with adequate water access.
Water start-ups such as Majicom fuse modern technology and water science and bring out the best water access services that modern ingenuity can furnish.
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Majicom water purification technology
Majicom is a social enterprise based in England brought to life by five Cambridge-PhD researchers and co-founders, with an unrelenting passion for delivering robust water access to people in need across the world.
The water-focused social enterprise had fused a band of talents, from technology experts to scientists, who have all combined their inventiveness to design a seamless water purification system that is powered by light and assisted by modern digital technology.
The social enterprise that started at Cambridge University has made its way to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to cement the best water treatment and dispensing products that modern creativity can bring to the table.
The water technology company has joined forces with local universities to bring about the best system that Tanzanian think tanks and community feedback can offer.
Majicom’s purification system is made up of simple materials—glass, sand, mineral and carbon-based materials to make their filtration tubes which can now be prepared in the kitchen—just by being heated in an oven or a microwave, compared to rather complex lab-processed ones before. Their purification tool kit has been researched by both Cambridge-learned scientists including Dr Michael Coto (Majicom co-founder), but also added with another set of knowledge from the Tanzanian interns and university grads.
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Majicom has been working with Ardhi University to develop further the prototype and ensure it is made to the best quality possible.
However, Dr. Coto highlighted that Majicom is behind the design of a water purification system, which is highly distinctive and they have introduced a more “power effective, solar-powered decentralized system” that suits the sub-Saharan landscape.
Dr. Coto told The Exchange that their system—incorporating very simple chemistry—uses very small materials that interact with light and in this case, the purification process is powered by the sun.
“What we do is take what we call the purification toolkit and combine it with a digital platform in the water dispenser and our mission is to ensure water is being handed more affordable than the alternative,” Dr. Coto said.
With the idea germinated four years ago, Majicom has managed to upgrade their purification materials for best water treatment, which according to Dr. Coto “can be made in Dar es Salaam, meaning that we can manufacture and maintain the materials locally”.
Through a series of experimentations, the start-up found out that kitchen materials produced outstanding cost-effective results, and the performance levels improved, compared to the laboratory experience.
To draw the costs down, Dr. Coto noted that they took a different approach “Actually now we can use the kitchen’s microwaves or ovens to cook the materials up, which is a very simple way to make the device” he argued.
The water-startup’s water kiosk system will be powered by a solar catalytic device and also by ultra violet system to enable an effective water purification process that is cost-effective and sustainable, but one that also utilizes the renewable energy potential present in Tanzania and the rest of sub-Saharan Africa.
To make the product more robust Dr. Coto said that, “We have also made it very flexible to combine other treatment technologies. For example, we have integrated another simple filter system—the photocatalytic system.”
According to Dr. Coto this new system enables the filtration process to capture impurities faster and effectively as different communities consume different types of water.
Their new system “Maji Jua System” has incorporated a cutting-edge technology that creates a new line of water kiosks that is operated automatically with no mains power, chemical additives or significant costs.
The startup has developed a strong partnership with the Tanzanian think-tank base—including universities (Ardhi University, University of Dar es Salaam and Water Institute), but also worked closely with water supply authorities, and communities in Dar es Salaam to co-develop a sound water dispenser user interface.
“The community feedback has been very good; we found people very plausible and optimistic about technology. The feedback has been useful and we have always rolled it back into our designs” he added.
Through their co-developed internship programme for graduates and current students, that kick–started in 2018 and led by Bridge for Change, a local NGO—engaged in social innovation management, interns have played an important role in co-developing the system, retain back crucial skills such as business development, research and marketing and water system setup skills while making a positive social impact.
Interns worked across the business development, market research and prototype angles to enrich the system, but also provided a two-way learning experience.
Majicom deployment plan is based within the narrative of striking partnerships with local universities to install digital water systems, but also going further to integrate the water systems in the research and academic curriculums.
Dr. Coto stresses that the deployment adds value to universities as it will offer them an opportunity to generate revenue from the system.
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“We can work with students around water engineering, product design, and digital innovation and we can incorporate our product help to augment university teaching output, which is aligned with our mission” he added.
The deployment plan will also move to households and water lenders, hence Dr. Coto stated that prices will be flexible.
“Each market has its business model that adds value to the customer, so the people who use the system find it is much cheaper than using bottled water, and customers who install the systems generate revenue as well,” he adds.
Majicom argues that their main goal is win-win, which means local technocrats and the community at large, stand to benefit from the technology and perhaps levitate it further.
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