About COPIP

Solid waste management projects focus on managing plastic waste better on land, in rivers and in coastal waters.

Wastewater management projects seek to reduce the discharge of plastics, including microplastics, to waterways, and handle the extracted plastics.

Urban storm water management projects seek to reduce the discharge of plastics through storm drains and waterways to the ocean.

Along the coastlines of sub-Saharan Africa, the Clean Oceans Project Identification and Preparation (COPIP) Programme will enable infrastructure that will reduce the amount of plastics entering the oceans. We are kick-starting a regional response to the estimated eight million tonnes of plastics that flow into the world’s oceans every year, most of which starts out as waste discarded on the ground or in waterways.

Who we are

COPIP’s contracting authority is the European Investment Bank (EIB), which supports the EU’s external and development policies and has been an active development finance partner in Africa since 1963. We operate within the framework of the Clean Ocean Initiative, which was launched by the EIB, Germany’s KfW and France’s Agence Française de Développement (AFD) in 2018. Italy’s Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) and Spain’s Instituto de Crédito Oficial (ICO) joined the Initiative in 2020. COPIP is implemented through a non-incorporated Joint Venture (JV) between Tetra Tech International Development BV and Egis Eau.

KEY EXPERTS

Klaus Buchholz: Team Leader

Senior civil engineer with over 30 years of well-rounded experience in infrastructure projects development and implementation, with particular focus on wastewater treatment. Experience in solid waste removal and management, including feasibility studies and design of landfills.

Over 30 years of managerial experience in infrastructure projects, leading large multidisciplinary and multicultural teams, including 18 years (25 projects) in developing countries covering Sub Saharan Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Tanzania), Asia and Central and Eastern Europe

David Lion: Waste & Waste Water Management Expert

Over 20 years of professional experience as Water & Wastewater Engineer with extensive experience in management and implementation of infrastructure development projects for wastewater and waste water infrastructure across sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, Europe and Central Asia. Several years of experience in developing countries.

Eva Roben: Solid Waste Management Expert

Almost three decades of professional experience in the field of environment, including 20 years in the planning, design, implementation, supervision, and monitoring of solid waste sector projects (incl. sanitary landfill, plastics, bioplastics, recycling infrastructure, marine littering (plastics) reduction, waste management in ports, composting, informal sector, and market analysis and development).

Stephen Pattle: Project Economist

A senior economic, finance, and institutional specialist with 38 years of experience in IFI, state, and private sector financed infrastructure investment projects – focus on wastewater (14 projects), solid waste (12 projects), and sewerage (5 projects).

Lorraine Hutchison: Programme Manager

Chartered civil engineer with 19 years experience in infrastructure projects development and project management. Experience covers water resources, wastewater design, water sector investment planning, hydropower, and infrastructure development in fragile and conflict affected states.  Most recently overseeing the programme management function on the £31m DFID funded Climate Resilient Infrastructure Development Facility Phase 2 (CRIDF, www.cridf.net)

What we do

We identify, assess and prepare for implementation solid waste, wastewater and storm water management projects in sub-Saharan Africa, in both the public and private sectors. We are pursuing this agenda along with target promoters: local authorities, municipalities and their public utilities; regional, national and local organisations; and private companies involved in waste and water management. In the process we are ensuring knowledge transfer in project development, project management, financing, operation and maintenance techniques to public and private sector project sponsors and other government counterparts.

Where we work

COPIP beneficiary countries are eligible coastal sub-Saharan African countries (not including South Africa). We are selecting and implementing projects in coastal and near-coastal riverine cities where the needs are clear and tangible, and the likelihood for sustainability, success and demonstration value are high.

Our Stakeholders

References:
1. https://www.eib.org/en/
2. The Ocean Plastics Reduction Guide
3. Theoceancleanup.com/sources/
4. https://www.aasciences.africa/call/arise

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