Investment to expand African successes for Majicom’s sustainable water technology

Majicom, a Cambridge-based social enterprise specialising in sustainable water technology, has received “significant new financial support” from Cambridge Enterprise Ventures, Innovate UK, and the Royal Academy of Engineering.

This investment round - the amount if undisclosed - will be used to accelerate Majicom’s mission of providing affordable clean water to communities across East Africa using its innovative solar-powered water kiosks and partnership model.

The company’s solar-powered water kiosks purify, store, and dispense clean water, and have initially been deployed at university sites in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where the goal is to reduce the cost of clean water for students by more than 50 per cent while slashing the plastic waste burden. The two largest universities in Kenya – the University of Nairobi and Kenyatta University – have also committed to testing and implementing Majicom’s water kiosks on their campuses. Together they house more than 100,000 students, providing Majicom with “a pathway to dramatically scale its impact.”

Majicom will use the investment to extend its product pilots beyond Tanzania into neighbouring Kenya.

Professor Gitau, representing The University of Nairobi, said: “We are excited to partner with Majicom in this endeavour. Access to affordable, sustainable drinking water is essential for our students, and Majicom’s innovative kiosks provide an excellent solution to meet this need while addressing plastic waste reduction.”

The funding also enables Majicom to forge a strategic partnership with INNO-NEAT, a Kenyan technology company tackling the problem of e-waste.

Across sub-Saharan Africa up to 90 per cent of battery waste goes unrecycled – ending up in landfills and fragile ecosystems. INNO-NEAT has developed a process for re-purposing this lithium-ion battery waste into recycled solar power management systems. The two companies are now working to integrate this re-purposed solar system into the Majicom kiosk.

Mike Coto, CEO of Majicom, said: “Our collaboration with INNO-NEAT enables us to build even more sustainable kiosks while supporting the local economy. Together, we’re not only providing clean water but also championing a greener, closed-loop system reusing existing resources.”

Majicom is also leveraging support from the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Higher Education Partnerships (HEP) program to launch a new educational initiative in Tanzania.

The Impact Engineer training program, developed by Majicom and Tanzanian project partners, and led by Ardhi University, is designed to equip young engineers with hands-on skills that complement the theory-based curriculum.

The four universities and technical institutes collaborating across Tanzania will use Majicom’s kiosk technology as a practical teaching tool in engineering, manufacturing, and product design courses as part of the training.

Lillian Madeje, of Ekihya, a project partner, said: “The Impact Engineer program bridges the gap between classroom theory and real-world application, equipping our students with practical skills that are invaluable in today’s job market.

“We’re thrilled to work with Majicom to bring this vision to life.”