VERGNET HYDRO’s African subsidiaries have acquired the in-house skills needed to complete projects from start to finish

Photo captions:

• Left: Installation of stormwater networks for the new TERRA-2 ro-ro terminal at the Port of Abidjan (SAHER, 2020).
• Middle-top: Installation of solar fields for 5 solar photovoltaic power plants in the Nord and Centre-Nord regions of Burkina Faso (VERGNET BURKINA, 2019).
• Middle-bottom: Construction of buildings and installation of equipment for the same project of 5 photovoltaic solar power plants in Burkina Faso (VERGNET BURKINA, 2019).
• Right: Construction of a 50 m3 reinforced concrete water tower (15 m high) in the commune of Bouaflé in Côte d’Ivoire (SAHER, 2022).

Civil engineering capabilities that have expanded in recent years

VERGNET HYDRO is a long-standing provider of drinking water supply (DWS) equipment for rural and semi-urban areas in Africa, and has become a key operator in hydraulic works over the past 10 years. “This upskilling is particularly evident in our Burkinabe and Ivorian subsidiaries, VERGNET BURKINA and SAHER, which have now brought local skills in-house, ready to conduct our projects,” says Thierry BARBOTTE, Managing Director of VERGNET HYDRO.

The “construction” offering from the two African subsidiaries covers a wide range of skills, from drilling to the installation of hydraulic equipment, and from the laying of drinking water pipes (and various networks) to civil engineering. “Our civil engineering capabilities have expanded considerably in recent years. We now build water towers, crossing structures, technical buildings and so on,” explains Wagna MOTA, Director of SAHER.

Renovation work to convert manual pumps into mini-DWS systems

For example, SAHER has recently installed the drinking water, fire-fighting, rainwater and waste water networks, various water treatment systems and the dry networks for the new TERRA-2 roll-on/roll-off terminal at the port of Abidjan (2020), laid more than 12 km of HDPE pipes in the Grand Campement district of Abidjan (2021), built a 50 m3 reinforced concrete water tower (15 m high) and laid 16 km of pipes in the Bouaflé district (2022), and installed 10 solar systems powering a drinking water supply system for the Coffee and Cocoa Council (2022)…

“We’re currently (1) carrying out the preliminary work for blowing out, cleaning and checking boreholes, (2) installing a solar pump, a manual pump, a 4 m3 tank, taps and all the related equipment (pipes, cables, etc.), and (3) building the superstructures at 750 available sites for the upgrading of hand pumps to mini-DWS systems as part of a large-scale project (worth €18 million or FCFA 11.9 billion) financed by a concessional loan from the Treasury Department (of the French Ministry of Economy and Finance) to Côte d’Ivoire,” Wagna MOTA adds.

Construction skills that go beyond the hydraulic sector

VERGNET BURKINA’s staff are currently installing solar power facilities, electric pumps, chlorination systems and 20 km of pipes and water towers, and carrying out all the civil engineering work for three drinking water supply systems in the Boucle du Mouhoun province. “Skills are acquired during the course of our work, of course. But even more so when our clients renew their trust in us for their projects. And we are especially proud to have such loyal clients,” explains Bertrand BUREAU, Managing Director of VERGNET BURKINA.

It is worth noting that the “construction” skills of VERGNET HYDRO’s subsidiaries are not confined to the hydraulic sector. For example, in 2019, VERGNET BURKINA’s teams took charge of earthworks, civil engineering, building construction, solar farm set-up and the installation of equipment for five photovoltaic solar power plants (587.5 kWp serving 120,000 people). This contract was part of an eco-electrification project for rural areas in the North and Centre-North regions of Burkina Faso.