Busan is good

“Busan Smart Water Supply Model” Selected for Korea International Cooperation Agency Public Partnership Program!

내용

Busan Water Authority announced that it has been selected as an implementing organization for the 2026 Public Partnership Program administered by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

This marks the first time the Busan Water Authority has been selected for an official development assistance (ODA) project. In May, it applied for the Q-DEEP rapid development consulting program under KOICA’s Public Partnership Program and was selected as the only local government entity among the 18 projects chosen.

KOICA’s Public Partnership Program is an official development assistance initiative carried out in cooperation with domestic public institutions, local governments, and other organizations to promote economic development and improve welfare in developing countries. KOICA provides project funding, while institutions and organizations selected through an open call implement the projects.

The Q-DEEP rapid development consulting program selected this time utilizes public-sector expertise to provide policy advice, capacity building, and other forms of support for key development agendas and projects in developing countries that require rapid implementation.

It is a human resource development-focused program that assesses project feasibility and develops concrete implementation directions through development consulting before launching full-scale projects involving human and material resources.

Through this project, the Busan Water Authority will apply the “Busan Smart Water Supply Model,” based on Busan’s accumulated smart water supply policies and operational experience, in Tanzania, Africa, and provide consulting to improve the local water supply operating system.

The “Busan Smart Water Supply Model” is based on Busan’s block monitoring system project for efficient operation and management of water distribution networks and its comprehensive measures to improve the revenue water ratio and reduce water leakage.

Drawing on Busan’s leakage reduction policies and water supply operating experience, the Busan Water Authority plans to assess the current state of water supply operations in Tanzania and propose smart water supply management measures suited to local conditions.

With KRW 400 million in funding from KOICA, the project will be carried out from next month through May next year in Loliondo, Arusha Region, Tanzania.

The Busan Water Authority will oversee the project and form a consortium with Flowork Research Institute Co., Ltd., a Busan-based company. Together with the Busan Global City Foundation, it will also conduct workshops on smart water supply policies and operations.

In addition, the project will use Flowork Research Institute Co., Ltd.’s AI- and digital twin-based leak detection technology to support the development of a master plan for the local water supply operating system.

The project is also significant in that it was identified and developed by linking the Busan Global City Foundation’s Busan ODA Incubating Project, which has been underway since last year, with its training programs.

In November last year, through the 2025 Busan ODA Incubating Project designed to identify companies and projects for participation in ODA initiatives, the Busan Global City Foundation met with officials from major Tanzanian water authorities and confirmed both formal requests for cooperation and the potential for project development.

Through this project, the Busan Water Authority plans to support stronger water management capabilities and the establishment of a sustainable smart water supply operating system in Tanzania, while further developing an international development cooperation model that connects Busan’s public policies with technologies from local companies.

Kim Byung-gi, Head of the Busan Water Authority, said, “We will make every effort to expand the Busan Smart Water Supply Model overseas and ensure that the results of this project can lead to a full-scale follow-up project. We will also do our utmost to contribute to the international community through Busan’s outstanding policies and advanced technologies, while laying the groundwork for local companies to expand into global markets.”