VANCOUVER, CANADA, Sept. 07, 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 AQUAtap™ water purification, desalination, and distribution technology, announced today that the Company’s joint venture in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the “DRC”), AQUAtap™ Oasis Partnership SARL (“AQUAtap™ Oasis”), has entered into a strategic partnership agreement with Orange DRC S.A. (“Orange DRC”), a subsidiary of Orange S.A. (NYSE: ORAN), in the DRC (the “Partnership Agreement”).
Pursuant to the Partnership Agreement, which is dated as of September 1, 2021, and provides for an exclusive, two-year renewable term, Orange DRC will enhance AQUAtap™ Oasis’ ability to serve the DRC population in securing access to clean water through Orange DRC’s Orange Money platform. Orange Money is the mobile money service of Orange S.A., available in most of the group's subsidiaries throughout Africa and the Middle East. Orange DRC is integrating AQUAtap™ Oasis’ electronic water management and cashless revenue collection systems into its Orange Money digital revenue collection platform, allowing the public to purchase water from our AQUAtap™ Oasis Community Water Centers using their mobile phones.
“Our inclusive business model, which we are currently implementing in the DRC, is a holistic and impactful approach to securing access to clean, safe, reliable water to underserved, marginalized populations while providing socio-economic benefits to the communities in which we operate,” commented Isaac Kalonji Jr., Managing Director of AQUAtap™ Oasis. “The partnership with Orange DRC and the integration of Orange Money’s innovative platform will allow us to reach a greater number of people in need of clean water, which will generate additional sales. Our companies are collaborating to achieve a first in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: pioneering the digital distribution of clean water. This partnership with Orange DRC, a leading telecom provider, is an outstanding accomplishment as it is further proof that our clean water solutions are perfectly adapted to serve the needs of the underserved population of the DRC.”
Under the terms of the Partnership Agreement, Orange DRC will manage all financial transactions for AQUAtap™ Oasis, including the collection and transfer of funds from the sale of water to AQUAtap™ Oasis’ bank account via the Orange Money platform in exchange for a commission of 3.5%, including all taxes, on the value of all payments received by Orange DRC on behalf of AQUAtap™ Oasis. Orange DRC will also provide promotional marketing services throughout the DRC for the AQUAtap™ Oasis clean water initiative using radio, print, and social media, and will provide certain necessary items for each AQUAtap™ Oasis Community Water Center including (i) no-cost wireless internet access for AQUAtap™ Oasis’ real-time water management and cashless revenue collection systems, (ii) 20-liter co-branded, food-grade water containers for use by customers in each community, and (iii) hand-sanitizing stations at each AQUAtap™ installation site.
About Orange S.A.
Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications carriers with a turnover of €42.3 billion in 2020 and 142,000 employees as of March 31, 2021. The Group has a total customer base of 262 million customers worldwide as of March 31, 2021, including 217 million mobile customers and 22 million fixed broadband customers. The Group is present in 26 countries, 18 of those are within Africa. Orange is also a leading provider of global IT and telecommunication services to multinational companies, under the brand Orange Business Services. In December 2019, the Group presented its new ‘Engage 2025’ strategic plan, which, guided by social and environmental accountability, aims to reinvent its operator model. Orange Money, its flagship mobile-based money transfer and financial services offer, is available in 17 countries and has more than 50 million customers. Orange is listed on Euronext Paris (symbol: ORA) and on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: ORAN).
About AQUAtap™ Oasis Partnership SARL
AQUAtap™ 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 AQUAtap™ Oasis Community Centers
Quest’s AQUAtap™ are self-contained, solar-powered, decentralized water purification and distribution systems. The AQUAtap™ was designed primarily for use in rural or peri-urban locations where infrastructure is scarce or non-existent. The AQUAtap™ 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 AQUAtap™ 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 AQUAtap™ systems are equipped with multiple cashless, point-of-sale interface modules to allow for the sale of clean water. Each AQUAtap™ 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 AQUAtap™ 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 contains 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.
| CONTACTS: | John Balanko, President & CEO Quest Water Global, Inc. +1 888 897 5536 inquiries@questwatersolutions.com www.questwatersolutions.com Jacqueline McClure, Corporate Communications Quest Water Global, Inc. +1 604 565 1103 jmcclure@questwatersolutions.com Isaac Kalonji Jr., President & Co-Founder Kalo Products SARL US +1 559 724 7386 DRC +243 820 770 608 i.kalonji@kaloproducts.com www.kaloproducts.com Richard Hoffman, President & Co-Founder American Venture Mergers & Acquisitions, LLC +1 602 373 4479 richard@avma.com www.avma.com |
Source: Quest Water Global, Inc.
