Kenya Water Institute (KEWI) and Bola Associates, a water technologies adviser in the country, are partnering to build a regional resource centre worth Sh240 million ($2.7 million) in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city.

Research, training and information, as well as hosting of conferences will be the main activities at the centre expected to be able to generate enough income to fund itself. KEWI gets an annual funding of Sh135 million from the government.

KEWI’s acting director, Mrs Leunita Sumba, in a statement said the institute expects the new centre to help it generate more revenue. Its annual revenue currently stands at Sh100 million.

“Once the resource centre is ready, we expect to generate more from conferences, exhibitions, short term courses and information services,” said Sumba.

The institute will be counting on the expertise of its partner, Bola Associates, in water and sanitation technologies and experience gained over years of affiliation with firms in Germany that are experts in the field.

The centre, which will be located at KEWI headquarters in the capital, will also host the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s regional groundwater centre for education, training and research.

Managing director of Bola Associates, Malei Nthiwa is expectant the UNESCO centre would afford the company opportunity to provide quality testing and results of analysis, lack of which he noted had delayed many developmental projects in East Africa.