ACODAL
The 67th ACODAL Water, Waste and Energy Congress & Exhibition will take place from 5 to 7 June in Cartagena, Colombia. This annual Congress is the trade fair for the water and environmental sector in Colombia and attracts 3,000 professional visitors.
Guaranteeing water and energy security in Colombia is an enormous challenge that can be achieved with the sum of small efforts involving efficiency increases in both the supply and demand. To achieve these goals, Dutch organisations can play a significant role. A Netherlands Lounge for the joint Dutch participation will be at ACODAL's exhibition area.
Existing cooperation between Colombia and the Netherlands
This year, ACODAL returns to Cartagena. This is especially beneficial for the Dutch participation as Cartagena is the focal point of Dutch-Colombian cooperation in the water sector.
For many years, Colombia has been one of the priority countries for the Netherlands, its international cooperation programmes and its water and energy sectors. Prominent master plans were developed using Dutch knowledge and expertise, and embraced by Colombia. Dutch water companies are active in the country through the involvement of VEI in the IDB Compass programme and the bilateral Blue Deal-InspirAgua programme.
The Dutch Government set up the Water as Leverage programme in Cartagena to support the city in the formulation and implementation of environmentally, socially and financially sustainable infrastructure projects that strengthen climate adaptation and urban resilience. The programme, in its second year, has already led to ideas for possible projects and has built a strong positioning of the Netherlands among relevant stakeholders.
In addition, increased energy demand combined with recent developments in wind and solar energy projects offer opportunities for Dutch companies in the energy sector.
Business opportunities
Most of the more complex water, waste and energy technology in Colombia is imported. The growing market and the lack of domestic suppliers offer many opportunities for the Dutch water, waste and energy sectors, such as:
- Improving water supply in rural areas through decentralised systems.
- Implementing technological innovations for urban WWTP.
- Improving the quality and coverage of drinking water networks.
- Implementing innovative technologies, concepts and solutions for waste management.
- Providing hardware and software solutions for renewable energy and energy efficiency.
- Promoting cross-sectoral information and control systems for evidence-based decision making.
- Promoting the use of sustainable infrastructure, adapted to the differential needs of the territories and the implementation of innovative and efficient technologies.
- Articulating public policies and planning for the drinking water and basic sanitation sector between different levels of government and with the private and academic sectors.
Netherlands Lounge at ACODAL's exhibition area
The Netherlands Water Partnership and Holland House Colombia, in close cooperation with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Colombia and with the support of Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), will put together a Netherlands Lounge for the joint Dutch participation.
Participation through the Netherlands Lounge is an accessible way to bring supply and demand together, create high visibility for Dutch expertise and technology, and explore and capitalise on opportunities. If you are interested in participating in the Netherlands Lounge, please book your space through this form or require more information by contacting Wessel Mol at proyectos2@hollandhouse-colombia.com and Joyce Gielen at j.gielen@nwp.nl.