The public-private partnership (PPP) for the national water utility of Cote d'Ivoire is the oldest and largest water PPP in the developing world. In place since 1960 and today serving more than 7 million people, this PPP has provided quality service for decades and made remarkable progress in...

In the water sector of developing countries the investment boom of the late 1990s has been followed by declining investment flows and the cancellation or distress of several high-profile projects. Enthusiasm has been replaced by doubts. But recent data paint a more nuanced picture. Activity in...

The Cameroon water connection scheme that started in 2008 is the first GPOBA project to be implemented under an affermage contract. It is also the first subsidized water connection program in West Africa to be implemented through an output-based aid (OBA) mechanism. This note highlights the...

Western and Central Africa have lengthy experience with public-private partnerships (PPPs), both for water supply and for combined power and water supply utilities. Cote d'Ivoire's successful PPP dates from 1959, and, over the last two decades, as many as 15 out of 23 countries in the region...

A major challenge facing water utilities in the developing world is reducing water loss caused by leakage, theft, and improper billing. The difference between the amount of water put into the distribution system and that billed to consumers is known as Non-Revenue Water (NRW). The worldwide cost...