Climate resilient growth and poverty reduction in Africa depend on the sustainable, coordinated management, and development of its transboundary waters.
... See More + Key sectors that contribute to growth such as energy, agriculture, transportation, and fisheries depend on development and management of water. Most of the water in Africa is shared by multiple countries. The transboundary nature of Africa’s rivers, lakes, and aquifers add considerable political, technical, environmental, and financial complexity to their sustainable development, often resulting in stalled investments or the adoption of sub-optimal development choices that have a real and significant cost. The note explores how to carry out problem-driven analysis for complex regional, multi-sector development challenges. This requires setting a clear and focused scope. It involves describing the relevant technical, structural, and regional historical issues, as well as the institutional arrangements at basin, national, and sector levels, drilling down to the underlying drivers. Analysis concludes with concrete recommendations for the design and implementation of development solutions.
See Less -
Transboundary river basins cover 62 percent of Africa's total area and, with the exception of island states, every African country has at least one international river in its territory.
... See More + Thus, transboundary water governance in Africa is central to any national or regional water strategy and any economic, poverty reduction, and environmental strategy. Despite the potential payoff from water cooperation, forging meaningful agreements for shared water management faces numerous challenges. Impediments to negotiated cooperation include differences in up- and downstream views on water rights and histories of water use; negotiating philosophies focused on the belief that water is a zero-sum game; geographic and political power differentials that conflict with basin-wide solutions; and uncertainty over basic water resources data that increase the perceived risks of cooperation. For cooperation to occur, riparian states, other stakeholders, and the facilitators of negotiation must be aware of the possible benefits of cooperation, whether benefit distribution will be shared, and what pathways are most likely to overcome potential barriers to negotiation. Economic theory and empirical analysis can play a productive role in providing the necessary information. This paper provides a review of the challenges to transboundary water cooperation, pathways for overcoming those challenges, and the role of economics in facilitating the discovery of those pathways. While it is written to focus on African transboundary waters, the report draws from broader transboundary water literature. Appendices include case studies on both game theory and hydro-economic analysis in transboundary cooperation for several river basins, including some from Africa. The limited studies that have quantified the gains from cooperation or costs of noncooperation show that the potential benefits are substantial. Recognizing the potential gains and costs for all parties provides a motivation for cooperation. The likelihood of cooperation around river basins is minimal if cooperation does not benefit the respective actors involved. In the final analysis, cooperation should be voluntary based on the self-interest of riparian states.
See Less -
Fostering cooperation to optimize development outcomes in complex African river basins requires a nuanced understanding of context, especially the political and economic incentives facing local actors.
... See More + Decisions related to water resources management are shaped by a range of considerations from traditional economic factors and physical constraints to political considerations such as the need to manage political support within a single state or to navigate complex international relationships with riparian countries. Exploring political economy realities can reveal capacities and systems that support pockets of effectiveness or have produced successful reforms in the past. It can also reveal the underlying logic behind seemingly irrational policy decisions or apparently dysfunctional institutional arrangements. This in turn provides the basis for thinking about how to work with, around, or gradually reshape existing systems to achieve developmental policy goals. Political Economy Analysis for Transboundary Water Resources Management in Africa introduces key concepts and variables for the transboundary water context. Furthermore, it provides practical advice to help water resource management specialists carry out strong, operationally relevant analysis that contributes to new ways of thinking and working, and ultimately to achieving better results. The note draws on the numerous frameworks that have been developed and the many lessons learned about how to design and implement politically sensitive programming. Importantly, while political economy assessments provide insights into the non-technical drivers of decision-making, they rely on a sound understanding of the technical bottlenecks that need to be resolved, as well as the economic and social costs and benefits of a given intervention.
See Less -
This report describes and analyzes progress of the South Asia Water Initiative (SAWI) in fiscal year (FY) 2016 (July 2015 through June 2016). SAWI supports increased regional cooperation in the management of the major Himalayan river systems in South Asia to deliver sustainable, fair and inclusive development and climate resilience.
... See More + The major Himalayan river systems, the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra, span multiple countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan), landscapes (mountains, valleys, lowlands, and deltas) and cultures. SAWI therefore works across basins and countries to support knowledge generation and sharing, capacity development, dialogue, participatory decision processes, and investment designs. In the context of water resources planning and management, SAWI promotes poverty alleviation, economic development, gender inclusion, and climate change adaptation. SAWI is in its second five-year phase (2012-2017). FY16 was an important year for SAWI as implementation accelerated with many new activities launched and several activities successfully completed. As implementation progresses, SAWI is starting to show results. Dialogue is connecting water professionals across the region at technical levels and increasingly at policy and political levels. While water cooperation in South Asia remains uneven and politically sensitive, SAWI is supporting a subtle change in mindsets and creating new opportunities for future reforms and investment.
See Less -
