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Mission: Possible – Innovating for the World’s Most Marginalized
Description:
Mission: Possible – Innovating for the World’s Most Marginalized examines social innovations at the intersection of technology, policy, and community action. Each episode features in-depth conversations with experts and innovators tackling systemic challenges in low-income and underserved contexts—from water access and financial inclusion to climate adaptation and digital public goods.
The podcast highlights not only what works, but why it works: unpacking business models, behavioral insights, design principles, and research evidence behind scalable social impact.
Designed for practitioners, researchers, students, and curious global citizens, this podcast translates complex development challenges into practical lessons for building a more equitable world.
Key content:
Innovation, Inclusion, Equity, Resilience, Poverty, Community, Empowerment, Impact, Justice, base of the pyramid, transformative services
Mission: Possible – Innovating for the World’s Most Marginalized
#61 Project Maji: Pricing Water, Powering Change in Sub-Saharan Africa
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Description
What happens when clean water becomes both a human right and a business puzzle? In this episode, we dive into Project Maji—a nonprofit social enterprise that builds solar-powered water kiosks across rural communities in Sub-Saharan Africa, starting in Ghana and Kenya. We follow founder Sunil Lalvani’s journey from witnessing a broken hand pump to designing a modular “Maji Cube” that delivers reliable water through remote monitoring and cashless payments.
But the real tension sits at the heart of the model: pricing. Charging a small fee can keep systems running and fund maintenance, yet raising prices to scale faster risks backlash, inequity concerns, and accusations of profiteering. As Project Maji explores peri-urban expansion to generate earned revenue—and even considers household connections—we unpack the strategic trade-offs between mission, sustainability, and growth. Along the way, we compare similar models in the region, examine how technology curbs leakage and boosts reliability, and ask the big question: what’s a fair price for water when the goal is impact at scale?
Key Words / Tags
Project Maji; water kiosks; solar water systems; Sub-Saharan Africa; Ghana; Kenya; WASH; social enterprise; impact investing; Danone Communities; pricing strategy; last-mile infrastructure; rural development; peri-urban markets; cashless payments; NFC tokens; remote monitoring; sustainability; scalability; cross-subsidization; gender and water; public health; SDG 6; inclusive business; water governance