Lemna's African Adventures

His challenge is to convince the Libyan government that Lemna’s housing plan—although more expensive than a typical grid-like town—has sustainable qualities that Libya cannot afford not to implement. Ngo has had several meetings with officials; so far, no deal has been struck. While the people he’s met with are enthusiastic, Ngo thinks it will take several more years to convince Libya’s government leaders of the necessity of their plan.

“In Libya, we set a five-year goal,” he says. “We will be a major provider in the housing, the educational, and the commercial market. We are interested in building universities and things like that over there.”

Bearing Fresh Water

Togo, a West African country bordering Ghana, Benin, and Burkina Faso, has had a water crisis on its hands for years now. Drought, a lack of water pipelines, and political instability have kept water supplies low. Togolese citizens buy water for five cents a gallon from tanker trucks that pass through their neighborhoods, Ngo says.

Lemna has proposed a cross-border water project that will pipe fresh water from Lake Volta, Ghana’s largest lake, 80 miles to the east, to the 700,000 people who live in Lome, Togo’s capital. Inexpensive access to clean water will also cut down on occurrences of waterborne diseases, such as malaria and cholera. Lemna completed the feasibility and business plan for the project under a grant from the United States government in 2006. The African Development Bank has indicated interest in providing $150 million for the project.

Each community in Ghana along the pipeline will receive a standpipe for drinking water. “I think about 90 percent of [the water] ends up in Togo and 10 percent gets used by Ghanain towns along the way,” Gerard says. Dubbed the Sogakope-Lome water supply scheme, the project is still in the planning stages. Plans call for construction to start next year and be completed in 2012. Togo’s government is pushing for the project as its water supply continues to dwindle.

As part of the execution of the feasibility study and to get Ghana’s buy-in to the project, two engineers from the Ghanaian Water Company, along with a Lemna marketing employee, set out to cover the length of the pipeline to speak with community leaders in each affected town. Along with proposals and illustrations, the team brought along peppermint schnapps, the town elders’ preferred libation for brokering deals.

The trip took a week and was ultimately a successful public relations move. But Gerard says it was more than that. It helped show that Lemna respected the country’s culture and communities. “Don’t just bulldoze their trees,” she says. “Involve the community so they know you are going to benefit them, too.”