Today, the company operates in 11 African countries with over 100 offices and more than 90 physical branches across East, Central and Southern Africa. DAVIS & Shirtliff, East Africa’s leading water and energy solutions provider, has revealed plans to expand into West and North Africa as it marks 80 years of operations.
This reinforces its ambition to become a leading pan-African provider of sustainable water, energy and digital infrastructure solutions. Founded in 1946 in Nairobi as a small engineering partnership, the company initially focused on supplying water pumps and borehole equipment to Kenya’s growing agricultural and industrial sectors.
Over the decades, Davis & Shirtliff steadily expanded alongside Africa’s rising demand for water and energy infrastructure, evolving into one of the continent’s best-known engineering brands. Today, the company operates in 11 African countries with over 100 offices and more than 90 physical branches across East, Central and Southern Africa.
It serves households, industries, schools, hospitals, farms and communities with solutions in water pumping, water treatment, irrigation, swimming pools, solar energy and digital engineering systems. The company directly employs more than 1,000 people across the region, with women accounting for over 30 per cent of the workforce and 35 per cent of management positions.
Over the years, it has also trained thousands of technicians, suppliers and service providers to strengthen long-term access to water and energy solutions across Africa. “Reaching 80 years is a remarkable milestone that reflects discipline, strong values and the ability to adapt to change,” said Edward Davis.
“As we celebrate this achievement, our next phase of growth will focus on regional expansion, digital innovation and climate-smart technologies that improve access to clean water and clean energy across Africa.” Operating at the intersection of water, energy and sustainability, the company has increasingly invested in energy-efficient pumping technologies, solar-powered systems and smart digital infrastructure that allows customers to remotely monitor and manage water and energy systems.