About Akvo

Akvo is a nonprofit headquartered in the Netherlands, with offices spanning four continents. We operate in West Africa from our base in Burkina Faso and in East Africa from Nairobi.

Akvo was founded in 2006 when an open source pioneer and a hydrologist joined forces to launch the first mobile data collection tools for the WASH sector. Since then, Akvo has transformed from a tool provider into a solutions provider, helping governments and organisations use data to achieve impact in the water, agriculture, and climate sectors.

Our vision

Akvo envisions a world where the smart, holistic use of data and technology - combined with sector expertise, local knowledge, and community engagement - can transform decision making in the water, agriculture, and climate sectors.

Our mission

Akvo’s mission is to strengthen decision-making in the water, agriculture, and climate sectors by advancing data and technology solutions that are locally owned, context-driven, and designed for sustainable impact.

Our key sectors

Water

We support governments, service providers, and development partners in strengthening WASH systems through data and technology – enabling service quality improvements, climate-resilient infrastructure, and effective programme monitoring systems.

Agriculture

We help cooperatives/farmer groups, NGOs, and businesses ensure compliance with sustainability standards, maximise the use of agriculture data, and improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.

Climate

We provide local communities, governments, networks, and NGOs with improved access to tools and data so that they can anticipate natural disasters and manage risks effectively. This supports climate resilience and contributes to broader climate adaptation efforts.

What makes us different

Our team brings together multidisciplinary expertise - from data specialists to technical developers and sector experts. With over 10 years of experience in water, agriculture, and climate, we combine technical know-how with deep sector knowledge. By applying sector frameworks and methodologies, we ensure our solutions are grounded in real-world context and geared toward meaningful, sustainable impact.

  • 45k+

    ground truth data points collected

  • 10m+

    data points collected using our tools

  • 200+

    organisations partnered with

  • 20+

    governments worked with

  • 70+

    countries worked in

  • 20+

    data platforms built at scale

Our collaboration model

As a nonprofit, Akvo does not generate profit from partners. Instead, we sustain our operations through a combination of project-based funding, including grants, tenders, and service contracts funded by institutional donors, foundations, and bilateral or multilateral agencies.

We also provide SaaS (Software as a Service) through our digital tools, enabling partners to access reliable infrastructure for data collection, visualisation, and analysis.

Our collaboration model

These tools are delivered through service contracts or integrated into broader long-term partnerships. Our work is often embedded in long-term partnerships where we provide data, technical expertise, digital infrastructure, and capacity strengthening tailored to the needs of our partners.

Our ability to work flexibly across different funding models allows us to adapt to the needs of each partner while ensuring accountability and long-term impact.

Some of our partners