Poverty Reduction Strategies: opportunities and threats for sustainable rural water services in sub-Saharan Africa

In: Progress in development studies, Band 8, Heft 1, S. 115-128

Abstract

The links between access to safe water and poverty alleviation are multifaceted, but can be realized only if water supplies are sustained. Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) have been developed by many low-income countries in conjunction with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, and describe each country's macroeconomic, structural and social policies and programmes to promote growth and reduce poverty. An analysis of PRSPs in sub-Saharan Africa revealed insufficient attention to water and rural development and identified three common themes in the pursuit of reduced poverty: trade liberalization, decentralization and privatization; each of which poses opportunities, but also considerable threats, to the development of sustainable rural water services. An additional theme is that of community management of water services, which is prescribed by many PRSPs and related national sectoral strategies, yet has failed to deliver satisfactory levels of sustainability. PRSPs are designed to promote growth and reduce poverty, yet many of their essential ingredients threaten to reduce the sustainability of rural water services and thus hinder rather than promote development and poverty alleviation in rural Africa.