A pan-African network to counter water privatisation will be launched at the
World Social Forum (WSF) in Nairobi, Kenya, which takes place from 20-25
January.
Despite the disastrous record of water privatisations in Africa, international
aid donors and governments continue to promote ‘private sector participation’
and commercialisation as the solution to Africa’s water crisis. Civil society
groups from across Africa and other parts of the world will use the WSF to
announce a plan of action to counter this misguided push for water
privatisation.
Privatisation experiments in Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Senegal, South Africa,
Tanzania and elsewhere in Africa over the last decade have failed to deliver
the promised improvements, argues Al-hassan Adam of the Ghana Coalition against
Privatisation of Water: “Privatisation has resulted in higher water bills and,
in some cities, these have been compounded by large-scale disconnections of
those who cannot pay. Yet the World Bank and donor governments stubbornly
continue to promote privatisation by attaching conditions to debt relief, aid
and loans.”
During seminars on 21-24 January, speakers from across Africa will debunk the
myth that ‘private sector participation’ is the way forward for improving
access to clean water and sanitation in Africa. “Governments need to learn
the lessons from successful public and community providers in order to make the
human right to water a practical reality for everyone,” says Al-hassan Adam.
The following seminar speakers are available for interview:
Mussa Billegeya of the Tanzania Association of NGOs (TANGO) will discuss the
failure of privatisation in Dar es Salaam and its aftermath. Following the
cancellation of their contract, the water multinationals are now suing the
Tanzanian government for millions of dollars.
Peter Werikhe of the Public Employees Union in Uganda will present the
successful reforms that have helped the National Water and Sewerage Corporation
boost its service coverage from 48 per cent in 1998 to 70 per cent in 2006,
while keeping water tariffs affordable. NWSC now works in not-for-profit
Public-Public Partnerships with utilities in Tanzania and Zambia to share
expertise and improve services.
Abu O. Alhassan of the Savelugu Water Board, Ghana, will introduce the
successful experiences of community-managed water in a rural town in Northern
Ghana. Access to potable water in Savelugu has within a few years been
increased to 74 per cent (the national average for rural areas is 36 per cent).
Christian Lawrence of the Campaign for Good Governance (Sierra Leone) is working
with communities in Freetown to ensure they have a strong voice in the
consultation about how to ‘reform’ the Freetown water company and 23 other
public companies. The consultation process is in the hands of consultancy giant
PricewaterhouseCoopers which, despite its controversial pro-privatisation
record, has received a major grant from the UK government for undertaking this
task.
Virginia Setshedi from the Coalition Against Water Privatisation (South Africa)
will present the legal challenge against the use of prepaid water meters, which
have disastrous consequences for poor communities.
Sekou Diarra, Coordinator of the Malian Committee for the Defence of Water
(CMDE), will present recent developments in Mali, where the national water and
electricity company was effectively renationalised after Saur and other foreign
water firms failed to fulfil contractual obligations on new facilities and
pricing.
A full programme of water seminars during the WSF, as well as a longer list of
African water campaigners and other speakers that are available for interview,
is available on request.
The World Social Forum website is: http://wsf2007.org/
For more information, contact:
Al-hassan Adam (Ghana Coalition against Privatisation of Water), 0736155485
(from local); 00254 736155485 (from abroad) – from Saturday 20/1, email
Vicky Cann (World Development Movement, UK), 0727 804 318 (from local); 00254
727 804 318 (from abroad) – from Friday 19/1, email
Olivier Hoedeman, (Corporate Europe Observatory), 0736121242 (from local); 00254 Notes 1: The joint program of water seminars during the World Social Forum is 2: The report “Pipe Dreams” (World Development Movement, March 2006
736121242 (from abroad) – from Saturday 20/1, email
organised by Ghana Coalition against Privatisation of Water, World Development
Movement, Public Services International, Corporate Europe Observatory,
Transnational Institute, Food & Water Watch, France Libertés, South African
Water Network, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Council of Canadians
(Blue Planet Project) and others.
http://www.wdm.org.uk/resources/briefings/aid/pipedreamsfullreport.pdf)
documents that in every case where the private sector has been responsible for
extending water access in sub-Saharan Africa, it has failed to deliver the
promised level of investment. 25 per cent of those still in need of a water
connection globally are in sub-Saharan Africa, yet it has received less than
one per cent of private companies’ promises of investment. 80 per cent of the
major water privatisation contracts in sub-Saharan Africa have been terminated
or are being disputed in relation to investment issues.