Stef Smits is a senior programme officer and Co-director of IRC's Growth Hub. He has 20 years of professional experience in water supply and sanitation in over 25 countries in Europe, Latin America, Southern Africa, and South Asia. His main thematic expertise includes: institutional models for water supply, sustainability and enabling environment, monitoring, costing and financing of services and integrated water resources management.
Stef has led numerous projects on these topics, and published about them. In addition, he has ample management expertise: from consultancy assignments to multi-annual programmes, and units within an organisation. He has worked for a range of clients including bilateral donors, development banks, research funders and NGOs. Stef holds an MSc degree in Irrigation and Water Engineering from Wageningen University, The Netherlands.
This study confirms the high relevance of payment modalities that reduce the barrier of the upfront payment to get access to a water supply service... Read more...
The SMART market-based approach is contributing to SDG 6 and beyond. Its impact is significant, but localised. Read more...
The assessment reveals that there is an urgent need for hygiene awareness and behaviour change communication initiatives in Ganjam district. Read more...
In the context of urban Haiti, household container-based sanitation services (CBS) systems have the potential to satisfy many residents' desire for... Read more...
Municipal managers in developing Asia are faced with the formidable challenge of finding ways of dealing with rapid urbanization, growing demand for... Read more...
Despite a long process of liberalization, institutional reforms in Sri Lanka's health and water sectors have been very limited. Read more...
People's participation is usually regarded a sine qua non for the success and sustainability of development projects. Yet in practice, it raises a... Read more...