Smart Metering and Digital Billing System - Liberia Water & Sewer Corporation

Company Description

The Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC) is Liberia's public utility, established in 1973, responsible for providing safe, reliable, and affordable drinking water and sewerage services (sanitation) across the nation, managing infrastructure, making connections, and aiming to improve water access and management for all Liberians, working on projects to expand service and fix aging systems.

Countries of Operation

Liberia

Ownership of Company: Local Company

Number of years since incorporated: 52

Project Pitch

Smart Metering and Digital Billing System: Current billing efficiency of 75.9% and collection efficiency of 27.7% represent $1.3M+ annual revenue leakage. Implementation of 26,000+ prepaid smart meters integrated with modern billing platform and mobile payment systems transforms revenue management. Real-time consumption monitoring eliminates estimated bills, improves billing accuracy, and enables automatic disconnection for non-payment. Mobile money integration (Orange Money, Liquid Telecom) reduces payment friction. Customer portal provides transparency and engagement. Conservative baseline projects $1.3M+ annual revenue improvement; prepaid meter transition enables $2.5-3.5M+ upside potential through higher collection rates and increased billing volumes.

Business Model Financing Options:

• Concessional Loan + Grant: World Bank/AfDB provide 40-60% loans + 20-30% grants
• Public-Private Partnership: Private partner finances; LWSC pays service fees from increased revenue
• Direct Government Investment: Government finances; LWSC captures full revenue benefits

Revenue Generation:

• Improved billing accuracy and elimination of estimated bills
• Improved collection rates (27.7% → 50%+) through multiple payment options
• Reduced meter tampering and unauthorized connections
• Long-term revenue growth as customer base expands

Operations: LWSC operates billing system and customer service. Smart meters transmit data via cellular/internet to centralized management platform. Automated 15-day billing cycles replace manual 20+ day processes. Mobile payment platforms operate 24/7. Customer portal provides self-service access. Phased rollout (5,000 meters in pilot, then 21,000+ full deployment) enables optimization before full-scale implementation.

Total Project Cost: $6.2 million

• Smart meter procurement & installation: $3.2M
• AMI infrastructure & software: $1.3M
• Billing platform upgrade: $800K
• Mobile payment integration: $400K
• Customer portal: $300K
• Training & capacity building: $200K.

Timeline: 18 months

Team

Information not provided

Type of Project

Governmental/Institutional project

Stage

Growth stage

Annual Revenue (in EUR)

1.000.000 - 5.000.000 EUR

Number of employees

101-500

Total Project Cost (in EUR)

5,000,000 EUR

Financing needs (in EUR)

5,000,000 EUR

Type of financing needed

Debt; Equity; Grant

The Company is looking for:

Joint Venture/Partnership Technology Solution/Equipment

Planned allocation of fundraising capital

Greenfield (new activity for the company); Expansion (expanding an existing activity); PPP (Public-Private Partnership)