Africa: two steps forward and one step back
- From: Vol 2, Issue 12 (December 2001)
- Category: General
- Region: Africa
- Country: South Africa
- Related Companies: Aguas de Portugal, Cascal/Biwater, Ghana Water Company, Halcrow, Northumbrian Water, Nuon, Ondeo, Saur/Bouygues, Umgeni Water and Veolia Environnement (formerly Vivendi Environnement)
The process of state withdrawal from the water sector in Africa is moving very slowly, despite World Bank and IMF insistence that water sector loans and aid should be linked to private sector participation. Most progress has been made in the Sahelian countries of West Africa, where the French utility giants have made some notable gains. However, in the larger economies of the African continent, and in the countries where most investment could be made, the politics of water is hindering further progress.
IMF cost recovery policies are being implemented in Angola, Benin, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé and Principe, Senegal and Tanzania, mostly very poor countries where such policies are least likely to bring about the desired results. However, in the more attractive economies of Ghana and Nigeria, opposition to water tariff rises is stalling
One of the ...
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