Delays and challenges: public private partnership (PPP) in Ghana water sector

Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in the water sector have become increasingly popular. Whilst there was no major PPP in 1990 worldwide, following the major 1989 privatisation in England and Wales, by 2000 the cumulative number of PPPs reported had reached 490 with 109 in Middle and Low-Income Countries (MLICs), affecting more than 170 million people. In Africa, 34 out of 48 countries either had PPPs or have initiated actions towards PPPs. Ghana started the process of introducing significant private sector involvement in its water sector in 1994 but the process, which was initially expected to reach closure in 1998, is yet to be completed. The paper, based on literature review, interviews and discussions with sector professionals and policy makers examines some of the cause of the delays and the challenges of implementing PPPs in a low-income country.

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