USAID/Washington mid-term performance evaluation of the sustainable water and sanitation in Africa (SUWASA) project

Originally conceived under the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005, the Sustainable Water and Sanitation in Africa (SUWASA) project was designed to provide water and sanitation services to underserved populations in Africa.  The project aimed to address the following needs: (1) African governments lack sufficient regulatory and corporate governance tools to enable local utilities that are technically and financially capable to provide quality water and sanitation services to their customers in a cost-effective and sustainable way; (2) African utilities were ineffective and inefficient because they were not sufficiently developed or trained in effective revenue collection, in addressing leakage problems in water distribution systems, or in customer relations; and (3) utility services to the poor are expensive, not uniformly available, and not of high quality.  The design of the SUWASA project emphasized the role that institutional reform would play to improve direct service delivery in providing access to water and sanitation services and included: (1) the development of cost-based tariffs, a process by which tariffs are adjusted; (2) development of governing boards overseeing and planning utility operations and investment; and (3) training provided at the local utility level.  The main goal of the evaluation was to provide USAID with an external assessment of SUWASA to date, its ability to integrate other complementary development activities, and its effectiveness at improving sector performance, measured by documented results and the perceptions of stakeholders.  The five salient evaluation questions focused primarily on five corresponding premises: (1) contribution to the body of solutions; (2) maximum development impact and aid effectiveness; (3) value of service provider; (4) positive country-level reform; and (5) correctly designed, managed, and implemented project.  The evaluation presents findings, conclusions, and recommendations for each SUWASA country, followed by overall conclusions and recommendations.  (Excerpt, modified)