EDP, Águas de Portugal Internacional and the Portuguese consulting firm Leadership Business Consulting have won an international tender - held by the government of Guinea-Bissau and funded by the World Bank - to provide technical assistance in the modernization and restructuring of EAGB, Guinea-Bissau's electricity and water company. The 3-year contract will enable the state-owned company to manage its resources and customer relationships more efficiently.

The state company, which is responsible for producing, transporting and distributing water and electricity across the country, supplies the urban area of the capital, Bissau. The company is estimated to serve some 450,000 customers - about 25% of the country's population. 

The assistance provided by the EDP-led consortium will enable several improvements in EAGB's distribution networks and reduce electricity and water losses, which are currently undermining the company's goals. The team will also help restructure the EAGB database and modernize the company's customer service and billing system. Water treatment and quality analysis will also be improved. The agreement also includes assistance in connection with the financial and human resources area. 

The purpose of this project is to help EAGB improve the management of its human, technical and commercial resources while also providing customers with a more efficient service. In order to ensure close monitoring of the project, the Portuguese consortium will send five experts to work with the company's management team in Guinea-Bissau. The project further includes a pool of 13 experts who will carry out technical missions across the country.