Reaching the most vulnerable: Scaling Up Service Delivery in Urban Water Supply and Sanitation

Independent Development Evaluation (IDEV) at the African Development Bank (AfDB) has conducted an evaluation of 15 Urban Water Supply and Sanitation (UWSS) projects that were approved and implemented by the Bank in 12 Regional Member Countries over the period 2001-2016. The projects aimed to contribute to poverty alleviation through reduction of productive time wastage; a reduction in healthcare costs; an increase in industrial and commercial activities; and the generation of employment opportunities in targeted areas.

The overall aim of the evaluation is to inform the design and implementation of future UWSS projects under the Bank’s High 5s priority related to improving the quality of life for the people of Africa. With a total net approval of UA 342 million, the 15 projects were purposively selected for this cluster evaluation. The evaluation questions focused on the extent to which the results of these projects were achieved, and the factors that facilitated or limited their achievement.

The evaluation relied on both quantitative and qualitative data drawn from desk reviews of Bank documents and literature related to urban water supply and sanitation; interviews with key internal and external stakeholders; and field visits to the projects under review. There was also additional data from a mini-survey of around 500 households that were conducted for each project-level evaluation. Results were assessed at the individual project and project cluster level using a UWSS project logic model. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and comparative analysis was conducted at the indicator level using baselines, targets and actual results. Evidence was triangulated from some of the data sources and methods, especially those emanating from field visits and interviews, to address the shortcomings related to insufficient coverage of beneficiaries and project sites.

Following the assessment of project performance, lessons were drawn that will inform the policy and practice of the design and implementation of future UWSS projects. Some of these lessons are:

• If implementation of UWSS projects is to be successful, a sound preparatory phase with adequate and up-to-date feasibility studies is important at the project design level;
• Integrated water cycle and sanitation value-chain approaches in UWSS projects are important to maximize water supply results and resolve sanitation issues;
• The use of “state-of-the-art” technologies is only relevant if there is a match between project requirements, availability of adequate spare parts and relevant expertise;
• To sustain UWSS project benefits, addressing utilities’ shortcomings is a necessary prerequisite;
• To reduce negative environmental impacts of UWSS project components related to wastewater, sludge and solid treatment plants, systematic mainstreaming of in-depth environmental and social impact assessments is important;
• Issues related to service delivery and behavioral change need to be systematically addressed in order to maximize UWSS infrastructure impact.

Evaluation task manager: Joseph Mouanda