Dick Van Ginhoven

Before joining WFF in October 2017, Dick van Ginhoven, a graduate civil engineer (MSc Delft University), was a diplomat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. From 2004 to 2017, he was responsible for the formulation and implementation of the DGIS development policy for drinking water and sanitation. In this period, Dick was member of the Governing Council of the WSP/World Bank, the WSSCC and SWA. He held various other positions within the Ministry: Head of Development Cooperation (Counsellor) at the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa; Head of the Procurement Division of DGIS and Dep. Head of the Gulf Region and North Africa Division. Before he started his career with the Ministry in 1988, he was employed as Sr. Program Officer Water and Sanitation by UNICEF in India and Vietnam and worked for UN-Habitat in Tanzania and was lecturer at the University of Zambia. Upon his retirement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in March 2017, he received the Royal Award ‘Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau’. Dick is Member (Secretary) of the Supervisory Board of the Water Integrity Network (WIN).

Hein Gietema

Hein Gietema has been working in the international finance and infrastructure domains for over 20 years. He has a strong background in developing and structuring infrastructure funds and projects. Hein advised the Dutch ministry of Foreign Affairs on several innovative funds (TCX, ORIO, DGGF, WASH Fund). Hein was also appointed by FMO as the member of the Board of the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF). He is Partner in a private equity water fund in Asia, he holds a Board position in Investeringsfonds Groningen BV (EUR 50 million) and is member of the Investment Committee of KIFFWA (Kenya Innovative Financing Facility for Water), a developer of commercially viable water projects in Kenya. Hein started his career as a banker at the Netherlands investment bank (NIBC) after he concluded his Masters (‘with merit’) in Business Economics at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Maarten Blokland

Maarten Blokland is a civil engineer by training and worked in water supply and sanitation in more than 50 countries worldwide. His professional expertise includes the development of investment projects, performance assessment and capacity development of water utilities, services provision to the poor and the review of water and sanitation programmes and projects. He held various management functions including those of Vice-Rector Education, Deputy Director and Acting Director of IHE Delft. He was a Governor and Executive Board Member of the World Water Council, and was Member of the Board of UNDP’s Cap-Net, of Delft Cluster and of the Netherlands Water Partnership.

Jean-Pierre Sweerts

Jean-Pierre has 20 years background in financing and investing in water and in clean energy infrastructure and in (impact) private equity and venture capital, worldwide. He has been Head Corporate Responsibility at Rabobank. Before he became active in the financial sector, he worked at Delft Hydraulics in the water sector in various managerial and consultancy positions. He has and has had supervisory board positions in a range of companies, infrastructure projects, public institutes, investment funds and foundations. He has an IEP from INSEAD and a PhD in Mathematics and Natural Sciences.

Our partners

WFF is associated with the Cardano Development, highly reputed manager of alternative and focused funds with a strong track record in developing and scaling-up innovative finance solutions in frontier markets. The Water Financing Facility received initial funding of € 10 million from the Government of the Netherlands, and is endorsed by The Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance. We are presently looking for development partners to support our objectives by funding activities with interest in a seat in the Governing Council.

Portfolio

KENYA – The first National Water Finance Facility (NWFF), Kenya Pooled Water Fund (KPWF), has been initiated in Kenya with support of the Netherland Embassy in Nairobi, the Kenyan National Treasury, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, the Water Sector Trust Fund, USAID, SIDA and SNV. The Kenyan NWFF has been incorporated with a Kenyan Board and senior staff members and expects the first issuance of pooled bond to be issued in 2019. This long term local currency financing will enable water and/or sanitation access to approx. 400,000 people of which 25% are living in designated Low Income Areas. We expect the Kenya NWFF to be able to plan similar bond issuances each year going forward.

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