Drops in the city: The puzzle of water privatization and consumption deficiencies in urban Ghana

Abstract

The water industry in Ghana has recently experienced a massive proprietary change, from its public monotonic system to a public-private system mixed with localized private participation options. Although these changes have contributed to local and national revenue generation, the consumption bracket continually de-equalizes due to inaccessibility and unavailability patterns of water provision. This has made water a scarce commodity for some, whilst others are over-supplied and over-satisfied. In this research, the manifestation of private sector participation in Ghana's urban water sector in the midst of the public water system and its implications on water supply have been investigated using both secondary and primary data. The study reveals significant deficiencies in urban water needs and wider inequality outcomes amongst urbanites despite government's neo-liberal interventions in the water sector. The major proposals include the need for re-alignment of private sector engagements characterized by proper state's regulatory control mechanisms and encouragement of community/neighborhood joint water supply systems to complement state and private interventions in order to reverse the access and consumption deficiencies in the urban water sector.