Publicprivate partnerships can deliver universal access to clean water by 2030

Water is essential to life, and access to safe water can improve the health of families across the globe

During a recent visit to New York City, I found myself admiring the many iconic networks of bridges, highways, parks, public beaches and iconic infrastructural master structures like the United Nations headquarters, an international symbol of diplomacy, cooperation and the epicentre of acceptable international human livelihood models. I was not only struck by the mind-blowing conversations we engaged in during the conference but also by the remarkable infrastructure that continues serving millions, shaping modern New York while demonstrating the lasting impact of the visionary infrastructure engineered by Robert Moses.

As I flew back to Kenya, I could not stop thinking: If one man with public authority and private capital could rebuild a city in a single era, why can’t we solve the simple arithmetic of clean water? With 2030 looming, the solution lies not in waiting for government allocations, but in unlocking the same engine Moses used: The aggressive, disciplined partnership between public vision and private drive.