Hello, and welcome to my blog African Water Politics: Actors and Frameworks in Water Development. Over the course of this blog I will be discussing the complex role that politics plays in addressing the problem of water provisioning across Africa. The continent houses many different types of governments and societies of various levels of development with different needs. There are many various frameworks and political actors across the water development landscape, and I hope to discuss the roles that each of these concepts play across the continent, applying a critical lens to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each topic. 

First, an understanding of why this water problem exists must be developed. Water, above all other resources, is critical in ensuring a dignified quality of life. It is used in almost everything we do from industry and recreation to sanitation and agriculture. Without adequate access to safe water, life expectancy and food security decline steeply. Unfortunately, many countries in Africa have for a long time been constrained in ability to provide clean, fresh water to the people who live there. The reasons for this are many, but include inconsistent precipitation across much of the continent, a lack of sufficient infrastructure, environmental change, and an exploding population that requires greater amounts of water to sustain its people on a per capita basis (Falkenmark, 1989). 

A common misconception is that many people envision Africa as a continent that is harsh and dry, whereas in many cases annual precipitation may be abundant and more than adequate to provide for the people of the region, as shown in Figure 1.  

 Figure 1: Annual average precipitation (mm) across Africa, based on ECMWF corrected ERA-Interim data from 1989-2010. European Commission JRC 2012

However, many of the countries that receive significant rainfall still struggle with water insecurity. This is because the problem of water insecurity goes beyond the role of geography and natural resources. In many places, it is a human-induced problem, or at a least a problem that humans have yet to successfully solve.

As the countries in Africa continue to expand and develop, local governments and political institutions will play a significant role in ensuring (or not ensuring) clean water for their people. There are many opinions on the role politics must play in solving the water conflict. Some argue that a constitution protecting the right to free water is paramount, whereas others argue that governments ought to promote the privatization of water to economically incentivise companies to provide the service, similar to public utilities in larger developed companies. However, is it fair to commodify a resource that is a public good by nature, even if it improves the access to the resource for all?

In most cases, there is no immediately right answer as to how to distribute water in an equitable process. Situations vary significantly on a case-by-case basis, and the governments of each country must consider what may work best in their own unique situation as it relates to their geography, population distributions, local infrastructure, and economic and natural resources. Thus, in this blog I will look into the complex decisions made regarding water conflicts and intend to discuss and assess various case studies where politics were involved in water provisioning. By dissecting why certain projects were successful and others unsuccessful, I hope to further understand what actions a government body can take to promote equitable access to water for its people.