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164 Diagnosing Corruption in Ethiopia
Box 4.8 (continued)
setback for both the NGO and the community. In 2005, three NGOs actively
involved in the promotion of community management of water supplies commissioned
a report on the legal aspects of WUA formation and management,
arguing that legal status would help prevent the mismanagement of funds
because money collected from community members would no longer be in the
care of individuals but held in the name of a legal entity.
In 2006, a consultative and validation workshop was held by the NGOs, the
MOWR, regional water bureaus, and other stakeholders to discuss the issue. A
national task force was set up under the authority of the minister, and a consultant
was hired to prepare a generic proclamation and implementation guideline. The
proclamation is currently being adapted and adopted in a number of different
regions.
Sources: Study team interviews and RiPPLE 2008.
Summary and Recommendations
In view of the scale of investment required in rural water supply in
Ethiopia and its importance in reducing poverty, ensuring that service
delivery is efficient, corruption-free, and reaches the poor is a clear priority.
The risks are potentially high: internationally, the water sector is
viewed as “high-risk” for corruption because of the financial flows
involved, weak government oversight, and significant public-private
interactions. In Ethiopia (as elsewhere), however, there is little concrete
evidence of specific risks or about the effectiveness of different interventions
that might reduce those risks.
To address this gap, the current study has reviewed both evidence and
perceptions of corruption in the provision of rural water supply in
Ethiopia through a mix of field surveys and interviews with sector stakeholders.
The study has drawn on a framework that helps focus on corruption,
in various forms, through a value chain, with the aim of identifying
risk points and mitigation measures.
One of the study’s major conclusions, broadly speaking, is that
Ethiopia has made significant strides in policy development, financing,
governance, and management, resulting in generally low levels of corruption
and perceptions of corruption along the value chain. That said, the study has
also highlighted a number of vulnerable areas, particularly at the lower