Market of Equipment for Water Purification in Africa: Opportunities for Russia

The rapid multi-vector development of Africa raises the issue of access to clean water for both the population and the economy of most countries on the continent. Despite the significant water resources, only 31% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa has access to safely managed water supply at their place of residence. This figure is significantly lower than both the world average and for other “developing” regions. Supplies of equipment and devices for filtering and purifying water have fundamental importance for the entire region, which is noted by major international organizations in their program documents, including the UN and the African Development Bank. In this regard, Russia has significant opportunities to enter African markets, taking into consideration its technological base and export capabilities. This article analyzes the export of equipment and devices for water filtration and purification to African countries. The authors identify the main suppliers of these goods to the African continent and track the dynamics of trade development over the past 10 years. Based on the obtained results, the African production of equipment for water filtration and purification is assessed in South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco, which are the largest sellers of this kind of equipment among African countries. Taking into consideration a variety of macroeconomic indicators, promising markets for the sale of Russian products are determined. Russian enterprises should pay attention to such countries as Algeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Niger and Tunisia. In case of joint ventures, the most promising countries are South Africa, Egypt and Kenya.