From November 14th to 19th 2022, the euWater4i-SD exploratory mission to Peru took place as planned.

The project aims to support EU SMEs to go international in Latin America and Eastern Africa. Peru is one of the target countries. euWater4i-SD started in September 2021 and for one year several analyses were carried out, which served as a basis for the consortium's joint internationalization strategy. As a next step, two exploratory missions were organized to engage with potential partners in the field: one in Peru and the other in Kenya.

The main objective of these two missions was to prepare the future actions of the euWater4i-SD project. The goal was to learn more about local water policies, regulations and priorities, identify and meet relevant water partners for European SMEs and hopefully start identifying potential business opportunities for them. It was also a first step in planning the trade missions that will take place with selected EU SMEs in 2023.

During the mission in Lima, ACLIMA (Spanish partner) and France Water Team (French partner) conducted eleven different meetings over the week.

Peru is a Latin American country with many water resources, however 3 million people still do not have access to the public water service, 49.5% of whom reside in rural areas. Although urban areas have the highest coverage (94.8%), it has decreased slightly in recent years. The government has made access to water and sanitation a priority through its National Sanitation Policy.

During this mission, the project partners were able to meet with local important actors, such as the Ministry of Housing, Construction and Sanitation; the National Authority for Water ; the Water Competence Center; the National Association of Peruvian Sanitation Providers; the Association for the Promotion of National Infrastructure; Aquafondo - the Water fund for Lima; and Lima Drinking Water and Sewerage Service.

All these actors presented the current state of the water market in Peru, its strong need for a modernized water management model and improved and developed wastewater treatment solutions. Overall, the conclusion of these meetings converged on a great need for smart water solutions in rural areas, and great economic opportunities in the private sector.

Some actors such as the National Authority for Water and Aquafondo directly expressed their needs for solutions for the potabilization and treatment of wastewater and its reuse and for technologically advanced irrigation systems, rainwater collection systems, installation of portable sanitation units, hydrological monitoring systems, etc.

The 2023 edition of the ExpoAgua Peru fair has been highlighted as a key event in the Latin American region. This confirms the relevance of the planned participation of euWater4i-SD, alongside European SMEs, in this event.

Finally, the project partners had the opportunity to meet with key local branches of international and European administrations present in Peru such as: the World Bank, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), the French Regional Economic Service (French Embassy), as well as the French Development Agency (AFD, in an online meeting after the official mission).

These interactions confirmed that Peru is a well-developed Latin American country with strong European representation. These different actors expressed their support and willingness to accompany euWater4i-SD in responding to calls for proposals, finding partners and implementing projects.

The mission was overall a success, and the euWater4i-SD partners are very grateful for all the support they received. Next step is the implementation of concrete actions towards SMEs, e.g. the trade mission to Latin America around June 2023, but also matchmaking events, training sessions with experts and market factsheets.