The Dimensions of Water Scarcity. A Study of Development Priorities in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Sammanfattning: Despite innumerable organisations, laws and targets committed to solving the world water crisis, millions of people still lack access to basic water and sanitation. This has widespread consequences and affects all aspects of life for those deprived of this fundamental requirement. Sub-Saharan Africa is the region estimated to be the furthest away from reaching the Millennium Development Goal of water and sanitation in 2015. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the areas that need to be focused on in order to promote water sector development in this region. By specifying a cross-country multivariate regression, we attempt to identify the factors affecting water availability on a domestic level and to determine their relative contribution to water coverage rates. The results indicate that physical resources seem irrelevant in explaining water coverage rates. Furthermore, the individual effect of internal economic growth is found to be more significant in improving water coverage than external aid, whereas the effect of the institutional variables is more ambiguous. Economic and institutional factors together appear to be highly relevant for the level of water available for household use. This supports the view of a holistic approach to water sector management, where development in a number of areas is required for a positive effect to emerge.