VANCOUVER, CANADA, Aug. 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- QUEST WATER GLOBAL, INC. (OTC Pink: QWTR) ("Quest" and/or the "Company"), an innovative water technology company and developer of the fully automated, solar-powered AQUAtapTM water purification, desalination, and distribution technology, announced today that further to the Company’s press release dated February 1, 2021, Quest’s strategic joint venture in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the “DRC”), AQUAtapTM Oasis Partnership SARL (the “Partnership”), launched its first AQUAtapTM Oasis Community Water Center on March 22, 2021, the UN’s World Water Day, in the DRC.
The launch of the Community Water Center represents the initiation of Phase 1 of the Partnership’s clean water initiative in the DRC which includes plans to deploy 500 solar-powered Community Water Centers over time. The first Community Water Center is located in an underserved community within the capital city of Kinshasa. Phase 1 of the initiative is expected to provide an affordable and reliable supply of clean water to 1.2 million residents of the DRC in underserved, rural and peri-urban communities. The long-term objective of the Partnership is to ultimately provide clean water to 10 million+ people in disadvantaged neighborhoods and communities throughout the country.
Dikembe Mutombo, CEO of American Venture Mergers & Acquisitions, LLC (“AVMA”) and Managing Director of the Partnership, commented, “Clean water is essential to nurturing life on Earth. Through my dedication to giving back and to improving the lives of Africans, I have come to realize that providing water, the source of all life, is fundamental to serving humanity. Without clean water, good health is impossible. To better the lives of my fellow Africans and to further the causes of education, medicine, and financial independence, this clean water initiative is paramount.” Dikembe Mutombo continues, “I am also extremely proud of the fact that our Partnership incorporated a basketball court at the site of this first AQUAtapTM. This provides a safe, protected environment for local children to learn and play the game that I am so passionate about.”
The Partnership officially inaugurated the first AQUAtapTM Oasis Community Water Center on April 8, 2021, at a ceremony attended by representatives of the AQUAtapTM Oasis partners, Dr. Jerome Kalonji (CEO of Kalo Products SARL), Isaac Kalonji Jr. (President of Kalo Products SARL), and Dikembe Mutombo (CEO of AVMA). Several members of the Widal Foundation were also present along with over 100 guests and distinguished political figures. A local men’s basketball team put on a great display of talent for the kids from the surrounding community on the newly opened basketball court on the site of the first AQUAtapTM Oasis Community Water Center.
“We are exceptionally proud that our AQUAtapTM system is installed and operational, providing clean water to this underserved community in the DRC. This is a significant milestone for both Quest and our Partnership. It is extremely rewarding to witness, especially after several delays due to the pandemic,” explained Peter Miele, Co-Founder & Executive Vice President of Quest Water Solutions and Managing Director of the Partnership. “Although we were unable to attend the ceremony due to COVID travel restrictions, we were there in spirit alongside our wonderful Partners Kalo Products, AVMA, and the Widal Foundation.”
Phase 1 of the Partnership’s clean water initiative in the DRC, which is expected to take approximately 5 years to fully implement, requires funding of USD $75M through a combination of debt and equity. It is anticipated that this funding will be derived, in part, from several sources including local government institutions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), impact investment funds, international development banks, investment banks, corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds from major corporations, and individual investors. The Partnership currently has funds pledged towards the deployment of future AQUAtapTM Oasis Community Water Centers, and the Company anticipates that this first installation in the DRC will enable the Partnership to actively pursue the balance of the required funds to reach its goals and objectives. The next AQUAtapTM systems destined for the DRC are currently in the pre-engineering stage and will be manufactured in Canada with final assembly in the DRC. To meet the Partnership’s stated objectives, plans include manufacturing future AQUAtapTM systems in several locations, among them Canada, the USA, the DRC, and South Africa.
About AQUAtapTM Oasis Partnership SARL
AQUAtapTM Oasis Partnership SARL is a strategic Partnership between Quest Water Solutions, Inc. (Canada), a wholly owned operating subsidiary of the Company, Dikembe Mutombo’s American Venture Mergers & Acquisitions, LLC (USA), and Kalo Products SARL (DRC). The Partnership merges the social mission of a non-profit with the market-driven approach of business for powering comprehensive growth, dignity, and potential while accelerating progress toward the Global Goal of equitable access to safe, affordable drinking water. The benefits arising from this holistic, inclusive, and impactful approach create shared value for both business and society.
About AQUAtapTMOasis Community Centers
Quest’s AQUAtapTM are self-contained, solar-powered, decentralized water purification and distribution systems. The AQUAtapTM was designed primarily for use in rural or peri-urban locations where infrastructure is scarce or non-existent. The AQUAtapTM is a cost-effective, sustainable, and environmentally sound turnkey solution that supplies a safe, reliable, and abundant source of potable water. Each unit is fully autonomous, powered by state-of-the-art photovoltaic panels. The energy efficient AQUAtapTM is available in several configurations, depending on the application, the water source, and preferred distribution method. When in use in conjunction with Quest’s inclusive Build-Own-Operate business model, as is the case currently in the DRC, the AQUAtapTM systems are equipped with multiple cashless, point-of-sale interface modules to allow for the sale of clean water. Each AQUAtapTM converts contaminated fresh water, brackish, or sea water into clean, purified drinking water at a rate of up to 100,000 liters per day. The systems are both modular and scalable in design, easily allowing for increased water production, and are designed to function in any environment and without any existing infrastructure. Housed in a custom, modular enclosure, a single solar-powered AQUAtapTM system is capable of producing clean water for up to 5,000 people per day.
About Quest Water Global, Inc.
Quest Water Global, Inc., through its wholly owned operating subsidiary Quest Water Solutions Inc., is an innovative water technology company that provides cost-effective, sustainable, and environmentally sound solutions to water-scarce regions. The Company uses proven technologies to create economically viable products that address the critical shortage of clean water in water-scarce regions and developing nations. Quest’s goal is to address the vital issue of water quality and water supply by providing an alternative, sustainable source of pure water at the smallest possible environmental cost, while becoming a leading provider of decentralized, turnkey solutions using alternative energy for the production, purification, desalination, and distribution of a safe, reliable source of potable water. For more information, visit Quest’s website at www.QuestWaterSolutions.com
Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release forward-looking statements as that term is defined under applicable securities laws. Statements in this press release, which are not purely historical, are forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks which may cause actual results and the Company's plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information, including: negative results from the Company's operations; the effects of government regulation on the Company's business; risks associated with the Company's ability to obtain and protect rights to its intellectual property; risks and uncertainties associated with the Company's ability to raise additional capital; loss of management; and other factors beyond the Company's control. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity or performance. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and, except as required by applicable law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all such factors and to assess in advance the impact of such factors on the Company's business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Readers should also refer to the risk factor disclosures and other disclosures outlined in the Company's periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission on EDGAR at www.sec.gov and with the British Columbia Securities Commission on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
Source: Quest Water Global, Inc.
