Catalyzing Utility Reform in Sub-Saharan Africa : Quick Wins Matter for Transparency and Accountability
Robust corporate governance is vital if power utilities are to perform well (Irwin and Yamamoto 2004; Foster and Rana 2020). Corporate governance has internal and external dimensions. Aspects of internal governance include board autonomy, the quali...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Technical Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/519011628831337787/Catalyzing-Utility-Reform-in-Sub-Saharan-Africa-Quick-Wins-Matter-for-Transparency-and-Accountability-Topical-Paper-Utility-Performance-and-Behavior http://hdl.handle.net/10986/36180 |
| Summary: | Robust corporate governance is vital if
power utilities are to perform well (Irwin and Yamamoto
2004; Foster and Rana 2020). Corporate governance has
internal and external dimensions. Aspects of internal
governance include board autonomy, the quality of board
proceedings, separation of board and CEO roles, and clear
expectations for the CEO’s performance. These expectations
should then cascade down through management and staff.
Employment policies help to ensure the presence of
high-quality management and staff who can meet expectations.
The methodical collection of data helps in monitoring
performance of management, staff, and board. This means
appropriate and supporting information systems must be
available. This paper analyzes the data collected under
UPBEAT’s T and A mandate to draw conclusions on the status
of the region’s utilities. It also identifies what we call
‘quick wins’, simple achievements that could make utilities
more transparent in the short term and spark important
reforms. The paper first presents an overview of the
literature and discusses objectives and methodology. It then
moves on to present current T&A findings, making a case
for certain improvements. Third, it recommends ways to
obtain some quick wins. Fourth, and finally, the paper
suggests ways to expand UPBEAT so it can track broader
governance variables in the future. |
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