Get to know Uzo Okonti

A retired Projects and Operations Director, I have spent over 30 years exploring the water sub sector of the food and beverage industry. My journey began with a course in professional accounting at the Institute of Management and Business Administration, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state of Nigeria. With my qualification as an accounting technician, I joined a medium sized water engineering services company as an accounting/client services staff. My job specifications meant that I had access to detailed expenditures as well as the knowledge of the value of every project that the company got involved in. The management challenge then was that every project never produced a positive return. Challenges on site were too many. I had to offer myself to physically be available on every project site to see things as they happened on site.

I had to begin to offer critically valuable assistance to the project execution team. This laid the foundation and deepened my understanding of the various aspects of water engineering services. Wastage at sites stopped and I became a technical hand learning on the field. Initially, the field staffs did not like my presence but with the passage of time, we became a team. I had to strengthen myself with self education on every aspect of the job. I read every piece available on water. Things changed for the company and every staff positively. Projects that were deemed too small for the company to handle, I had to encourage management to allow the team to undertake them. We handled community water supply, purification and systems projects for blue chip companies and higher institutions of learning, hospitals, event centers and so on. I never went back to the ledgers again. After more than seven years on the bit I knew better what I was cut out for in life.

With very good hands in borehole drilling, water treatment and distribution network construction, I went solo in the year 2000 to start my company to continue to replicate the transformation that took place in our parent organization. I am passionate about sharing my insights and experiences to empower others especially those that may have the interest to pursue a life career of providing potable water for the people. In my book, Ultimate Guide to Professional Water Treatment, I draw on my expertise to simplify the various aspects of water purification and conditioning. When I am not drilling, conditioning water for good use or installing systems in homes, I watch football matches or I listen to good music.