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TitleUganda and rural water supply: major strides in sector coordination and performance
Publication TypeMiscellaneous
Year of Publication2011
AuthorsO’Meally, S
Pagination29 p. : 1 box, 5 fig., 1 tab.
Date Published2011-01-01
PublisherOverseas Development Institute (ODI)
Place PublishedLondon, UK
Keywordsdevelopment aid, institutional framework, policies, reform, rural areas, rural supply systems
Abstract

This report addresses the nature of the progress made in rural water supply in Uganda since 1990, the factors that have contributed to this progress and the wider lessons that can be learnt from this case for promoting sector progress.

Since 1990, Uganda has made notable progress in increasing access to improved drinking water sources in rural areas and has taken major strides in improving its national and local rural water service delivery systems.

A combination of factors, exogenous and endogenous to the sector, has helped drive progress. These include: a strengthened sector policy and institutional framework; shifting aid modalities and improved development cooperation, involving a shift from projects to a sector-wide approach (SWAp); development financing and enhanced resource allocation; and national leadership and political support, particularly up to the mid-2000s.

Key lessons learnt include: aid can be more effective when it 'works with the grain' and when the incentives of donors and recipients are aligned with reform processes; the scope and longevity of sector reform depends greatly on the degree of government leadership and  political support and the logic of the political system; equity and sustainability issues need to be addressed systematically if progress is to be maintained; and a shift from the poverty agenda to one of macroeconomic stability and export-driven growth poses risks to social sector progress.

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