Gridlines

2010-06, Marin, Philippe, Muhairwe, William, Mugisha, Silver, Mugabi, Josses

Uganda's national water utility has become known for its successful turnaround under public management. Less well known is that this success owes much to the introduction of private-sector-like practices to motivate employees. Following a mixed experience with two short-term management contracts in Kampala, the utility's management introduced an innovative concept of internal delegation, inspired by public-private partnership contracts. Local managers establish private partnerships to operate systems under contract with the utility, with part of their pay depending on performance. The experience offers interesting lessons for those involved in reforming urban water utilities in developing countries.

2010-03, Marin, Philippe, Fall, Matar, Ouibiga, Harouna

Thanks to a corporatization process spanning two decades, Burkina Faso's national water and sanitation utility ranks among the few well-managed public water utilities in Sub-Saharan Africa. Key to its success has been the government's unceasing commitment to reform, which included the successful implementation of an innovative performance-based service contract with an international operator from 2001 to 2006. The experience shows that it is possible to establish a well-performing public water utility in a poor developing country- as long as the governance framework ensures the autonomy and accountability of the service provider and the government supports the sector's long-term financial viability through an appropriate tariff and investment policy.

2007-05, Mehta, Meera, Virjee, Kameel, Njoroge, Serah

Small-scale providers of water services are no longer seen as merely temporary substitutes for formal utilities. In many developing countries governments and donors increasingly view them as long-term partners in the work to extend and improve water services, particularly as governments accelerate efforts to meet water targets associated with the Millennium Development Goals. But a host of problems complicate efforts to make small-scale providers productive partners, including their lack of access to finance. In Kenya, a collaborative program is bringing together community-based organizations and micro-lenders to provide better water services to poor people -- and generating lessons for similar initiatives.