Economic Rationale for Cooperation on International Waters in Africa : A Review
Transboundary river basins cover 62 percent of Africa's total area and, with the exception of island states, every African country has at least one international river in its territory. Thus, transboundary water governance in Africa is central...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2017
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/239901487091959473/Economic-rationale-for-cooperation-on-international-waters-in-Africa-a-review http://hdl.handle.net/10986/26071 |
| Summary: | Transboundary river basins cover 62
percent of Africa's total area and, with the exception
of island states, every African country has at least one
international river in its territory. Thus, transboundary
water governance in Africa is central to any national or
regional water strategy and any economic, poverty reduction,
and environmental strategy. Despite the potential payoff
from water cooperation, forging meaningful agreements for
shared water management faces numerous challenges.
Impediments to negotiated cooperation include differences in
up- and downstream views on water rights and histories of
water use; negotiating philosophies focused on the belief
that water is a zero-sum game; geographic and political
power differentials that conflict with basin-wide solutions;
and uncertainty over basic water resources data that
increase the perceived risks of cooperation. For cooperation
to occur, riparian states, other stakeholders, and the
facilitators of negotiation must be aware of the possible
benefits of cooperation, whether benefit distribution will
be shared, and what pathways are most likely to overcome
potential barriers to negotiation. Economic theory and
empirical analysis can play a productive role in providing
the necessary information. This paper provides a review of
the challenges to transboundary water cooperation, pathways
for overcoming those challenges, and the role of economics
in facilitating the discovery of those pathways. While it is
written to focus on African transboundary waters, the report
draws from broader transboundary water literature.
Appendices include case studies on both game theory and
hydro-economic analysis in transboundary cooperation for
several river basins, including some from Africa. The
limited studies that have quantified the gains from
cooperation or costs of noncooperation show that the
potential benefits are substantial. Recognizing the
potential gains and costs for all parties provides a
motivation for cooperation. The likelihood of cooperation
around river basins is minimal if cooperation does not
benefit the respective actors involved. In the final
analysis, cooperation should be voluntary based on the
self-interest of riparian states. |
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