In the water sector of developing countries the investment boom of the late 1990s has been followed by declining investment flows and the cancellation or distress of several high-profile projects. Enthusiasm has been replaced by doubts. But recent data paint a more nuanced picture. Activity in...

This study provides objective information and analysis on the performance of public-private partnerships (PPP) projects in urban water supply and sanitation in developing countries. It reviews the spread of urban water PPP projects during the past 15 years, and assesses whether and how they have...

The Cameroon water connection scheme that started in 2008 is the first GPOBA project to be implemented under an affermage contract. It is also the first subsidized water connection program in West Africa to be implemented through an output-based aid (OBA) mechanism. This note highlights the...

A major challenge facing water utilities in the developing world is reducing water loss caused by leakage, theft, and improper billing. The difference between the amount of water put into the distribution system and that billed to consumers is known as Non-Revenue Water (NRW). The worldwide cost...

Investment in private participation in infrastructure projects in developing countries in 2004 and 2005 increased sharply. Meanwhile, the distribution of investment across sectors and regions, and the allocation of risks between public and private parties, were shifting. Private sponsors started...

New private activity in infrastructure continues to take place in developing countries despite the financial and economic crisis. New projects are being tendered and brought to financial or contractual closure. Measured by amount of investment, the rate of project closure grew by 2 percent in...

Throughout the financial crisis, new private activity has continued to take place in developing countries with projects being tendered and brought to financial closure. In the first months of the full-scale of the financial crisis (Aug-Nov 2008), the rate of project closure was 26 percent lower...