Public-private partnership (PPP) and water-supply provision in urban Africa: The experience of Congo-Brazzaville

This paper addresses the introduction of a public–private partnership (PPP) for water
provision in urban Congo. It describes the organisational context before and after PPP and
discusses the various outcomes of the partnership, both positive and negative. Despite some
promising early results, the PPP arrangements did not develop as planned and the private
enterprises ran into financial problems. The role of the political environment in compromising
the potential benefits of PPP was important, and the article closes with some policy recommendations in light of Congo’s ongoing negotiations with the international financial institutions to secure their assistance for new economic reforms.