Build Affordable Wastewater Treatment for Nigeria's Small Towns

Nigeria's large cities have some wastewater treatment infrastructure — however poorly maintained. Its small towns — population 20,000 to 200,000 — have almost none. Sewage from households either flows to pit latrines that overflow, directly into drainage channels, or is carted by vacuum tankers and dumped illegally. The downstream public health consequences affect communities that share river basins with these towns. Conventional wastewater treatment plants are unaffordable at this scale. Decentralised, low-cost alternatives are technically available but not systematically deployed. Your challenge is to design a wastewater treatment business model for Nigerian small towns of 20,000 to 100,000 people. It must handle sewage from a combination of connected sewer lines and vacuum tanker collection, treat to WHO wastewater reuse standards, generate treated effluent that can be sold for irrigation or industrial use, and be financially sustainable at a tariff below ₦500 per household per month. Submit a business model and technical design document (max 12 pages) including: the treatment technology, collection model (sewers and tankers), effluent end market and pricing, tariff design and household affordability, maintenance model, the required regulatory approvals, and a plan to build and operate three facilities in three small towns within 36 months. Judging criteria: 35% treatment technology design at the target tariff, 30% effluent market and revenue model, 20% collection and maintenance model, 15% regulatory pathway.