TRANSFORM WASH
Strategic Marketing Plan and Business Model Development
Client: Government of Ethiopia and USAID
Situation
Ethiopia has made considerable advancements in water and sanitation in the past two decades. Yet, around 35% of its population still lacks access to an improved water source, and a mere 14% have access to improved latrines. This situation is compounded by unhygienic behaviors and limited availability of affordable WASH products and services in the market. As a result, diarrheal disease remains a leading cause of death among Ethiopian children under five.
Task
I was responsible for supporting the TRANSFORM WASH technical proposal and once we secured funding, leading the design of the project strategic marketing plan, initial business model, and go-to-market strategy.
The USAID TRANSFORM WASH, a $26M USAID-funded project executed in collaboration with PSI, SNV, Plan International, and IRC WASH, was initiated with a primary objective of improving WASH outcomes in Ethiopia. The project aimed to:
Increase demand for affordable, high-quality WASH products and services.
Strengthen supply chains for these products.
Enhance WASH governance at the subnational level.
Expand the knowledge base to upscale WASH innovations.
This 5-year project, with its Design-Measure-Learn approach, set out to address the core challenges by facilitating market introduction of new products, such as the SATO pan and the plastic toilet slab.
Actions
Responsible for leading the marketing plan development, business model inception, and go-to-market strategy, I guided the TRANSFORM WASH team through the following:
DIAGNOSE:
Define the Need: Based on the epidemiological analysis and Use/Need analysis, a clear market definition and scope was established.
Analyze the Situation: Working with the team, information was gathered, analyzed, and sourced to get insights into Audience, Market Structure, and Performance.
Identify Challenges and Set Objectives: The team listed major challenges and translated them into strategic priorities or marketing objectives.
DESIGN:
Target Audience Deep Dive: Preliminary segmentation of consumers was done based on GtN findings.
Design the Solution: Using recent prototyping findings, a comprehensive strategy was outlined for each of the 4P's (Product, Price, Place, Promotion).
Design the business model (including key retailers, partnership strategies, and pricing strategies for sustainability).
Outline the go-to-market plan with key priorities.
DELIVER:
Research Plan: An M+E plan to address information gaps and further the project's goals.
6 Month Action Plan: A detailed plan was outlined to guide immediate next steps.
Results
By introducing new sanitation products to the Ethiopian market and leveraging market research and stakeholder insights, the USAID Transform WASH project aimed to change the WASH market landscape. It focused on stimulating demand at the community level, strengthening supply chains, enhancing local business practices, and fostering an environment conducive to a thriving private sector. Some of the key achievements include:
Enrolled 559 business partners across 59 implementation woredas with an average of nearly 10 partners per woreda since project inception in 2017.
Over 100,000 products sold to end consumers by mid-2022.
Retention: 79% of enrolled partners remain active, signaling a stable participation rate between 2019-2022.
A substantial number of entrepreneurs foresee a future in WASH-related offerings, highlighting confidence in the sanitation market's sustainability and potential.