Governance and Water Service Delivery in Senegal

Abstract

In 1995, the Government of Senegal launched far-reaching reforms in the water sector. However, there is still limited enthusiasm among urban and rural populations about the delivery of this service. We argue in this paper that accountability mechanisms matter in the delivery process. We examine qualitatively the effectiveness of three aspects of governance: participation, accountability and transparency. We then analyse the relationship between governance variables and some objective variables of water outcomes. We find that while systems of information and transparency are somewhat effective through meetings between councillors and water providers in both rural and urban areas, accountability mechanisms are likely to be more effective in rural communities. Contrary to the case of urban water in municipalities, governance variables do not have a significant effect on water outcomes in rural communities. Based on our findings we outline a number of policy implications.