2005 - 2006 - Pinsent Masons Water Yearbook 2012

6
PART 1: 2005-2006 OVERVIEW
most basic level of service delivery, corruption usually means that service delivery is bad, and
may well be getting worse. It is not only corrupt in itself but also a symptom of a deeper malaise,
making it much harder to bring in the kind of transparent financial mechanisms that might have
a chance of resolving the vicious paradox that bedevils water service improvement in so many
developing countries. This is the paradox whereby utilities – whether publicly or privately run –
need money from consumers to fund improvement and expansion programs at a time when all
too often consumers are not prepared to pay higher rates because they have little or no faith in
the utility and their personal experience reflects a deterioration of service (GWR, 225, August
2005, pp 1-3).
As Sachs observed in the introductory quotations, you cannot further penalise the impoverished.
What is therefore needed is a very clear alignment between ODA and related capacity building
exercises and addressing issues regarding corruption. Some work is starting to address this
need. The following table summarises the various initiatives designed to mobilise aid effectively.
Aid and development related initiatives in Sub-Saharan Africa
African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM): Joint development of policies for political stability and
economic development adopted by 23 countries.
Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC): USA developed criteria for identifying target countries
(full) for aid and countries committed to meeting these standards (potential).
Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative: A World Bank / IMF initiative identifying
countries to fast track for debt relief on basis of governance development.
Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP): Country poverty reduction strategies as assessed
by the World Bank / IMF.
World Bank Absorptive Capacity Study (WBACS): A study by the World Bank highlighting 18
countries worldwide that have used aid affectively.
APRM MCC
HIPC PRSP WBACS
Full Potential
Angola ×
Benin × × × × ×
Burkina Faso × × × × ×
Cameroon × ×
Chad ×
Congo, Rep. ×
Ethiopia × × × ×
Gabon ×
Gambia ×
Ghana × × × ×
Guinea ×
Kenya × ×
Lesotho × ×
Madagascar × × × ×
Malawi × × ×
Mali × × × × ×
Mauritania × × ×
Mozambique × × × × ×
Niger × ×
Nigeria ×
Rwanda × ×
Senegal × × × ×
Sierra Leone ×
South Africa ×
Tanzania × × × × ×
Uganda × × × × ×
Zambia × ×
Pinsent Masons Water Yearbook 2005-2006