Governance, accountability and aid effectiveness: Towards sustainable rural water services

Governance, accountability and aid effectiveness:

Towards sustainable rural water services

A paper presented by CWSA/IRC Triple-S at the 22nd MOLE Conference of the Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation,

9th-13th August, 2011

Vida Duti, Country Team Leader, Triple-S Ghana

What this presentation covers

• What do we mean by governance, accountability and aid effectiveness?• How do governance, accountability and aid effectiveness contribute to

sustainability?• What are the fundamental building blocks for sustainable water services?• Steps by which CWSA in collaboration with IRC /Triple-S is working to

increase awareness of the challenges faced in making rural water services sustainable, and using this awareness as a basis for identifying areas for reform and innovation.

• What are the missing pieces of the building blocks for sustainable water services in the Ghana rural water sector?

• What are we doing to fill the gaps?

2CWSA/IRC Triple-S Mole XXII August 10,2011

Good governance• Good governance is about political parties, parliament, the

judiciary, the media, and civil society• It is about how citizens, leaders and public institutions relate

to each other in order to make change happen• Good governance requires three things:

– State capability – leaders and governments who are able to get things done.

– Responsiveness – public policies and institutions that respond to the needs of citizens and uphold their rights.

– Accountability –citizens, civil society and the private sector are able to scrutinise public institutions and governments and hold them to account.


Accountability

Service Authority

Citizens / clients Service Provider

Voice

, nee

ds, le

gal

right

s

Voice

, nee

ds, le

gal

right

sService agreem

ent

and regulation

Service agreement

and regulation

Water services provisionWater services provision

Payment for servicesPayment for services

Acco

unta

bilit

y for

acce

ss to

serv

ices

Acco

unta

bilit

y for

acce

ss to

serv

ices Accountability

service delivery

obligationsAccountability

service delivery

obligations

de la Harpe (2011) 4CWSA/IRC Triple-S Mole XXII August 10,2011

Aid EffectivenessAid Effectiveness is about improving the quality of aid and its impact on development


How do governance, accountability and aid effectiveness contribute to sustainability?

• Some development partners, donors, and NGOs believe that large amounts of aid directly invested in projects will result in positive development outcomes.

• However, years of experience have shown that donor driven projects do not, on their own, always result in sustainable services.

• An exclusive focus on projects undermines country ownership and capacity building of country structures and systems, thereby introducing a cycle as presented below


Where there is no ‘aid effectiveness’•No focus on an enabling sector environment•No attention o sector policies, a national sector plan or a sector MTEF•No sector coordination and donor harmonisation •No capacity building•No arrangements for ongoing services provision

Where there is no ‘aid effectiveness’•No focus on an enabling sector environment•No attention o sector policies, a national sector plan or a sector MTEF•No sector coordination and donor harmonisation •No capacity building•No arrangements for ongoing services provision

Development partner/donor response

•Project aid•Projects tend to focus on infrastructure rather than service provision•Projects are not aligned to sector policy•Independent systems are used•No arrangements for ongoing services provision

Development partner/donor response

•Project aid•Projects tend to focus on infrastructure rather than service provision•Projects are not aligned to sector policy•Independent systems are used•No arrangements for ongoing services provision

State of the sector•Weak sector policy•Lack of coordination•Poor planning•Weak sector institutions•Poor accountability and governance•Unsustainable services

State of the sector•Weak sector policy•Lack of coordination•Poor planning•Weak sector institutions•Poor accountability and governance•Unsustainable services Vicious circle of

traditional aid

de la Harpe (2011)7CWSA/IRC Triple-S Mole XXII August

10,2011

• A more effective approach acknowledges the importance of working with and through governments structures, strengthening them in the process

• It does not necessarily completely do away with projects – but it makes sure that the environment to allow projects to achieve their goals is also addressed


Virtuous circle aid effectiveness



Improved sector•Stronger sector policy•A single sector budget that supports sector policy objectives• Sector coordination •Sector capacity strengthened•Improved sector governance, accountability and transparency•More sustainable services provision

Improved sector•Stronger sector policy•A single sector budget that supports sector policy objectives• Sector coordination •Sector capacity strengthened•Improved sector governance, accountability and transparency•More sustainable services provision

Impact of aid effectiveness focus•Focus on country ownership, sector policies and national planning •Efforts to coordinate•Increased focus on performance monitoring and results •Focus on strengthening sector governance•Focus on development effectiveness

Impact of aid effectiveness focus•Focus on country ownership, sector policies and national planning •Efforts to coordinate•Increased focus on performance monitoring and results •Focus on strengthening sector governance•Focus on development effectiveness

Development partner/donor response•Shift to budget and sector budget support•Aid aligned to country policies and priorities•Aid is managed through country systems•Aid supports service delivery rather than a narrow focus on infrastructure•Donors harmonise , coordinate, dialogue

Development partner/donor response•Shift to budget and sector budget support•Aid aligned to country policies and priorities•Aid is managed through country systems•Aid supports service delivery rather than a narrow focus on infrastructure•Donors harmonise , coordinate, dialogue


Pathway to sustainable developmentAid effectiveness helps a lot – but we still need good governance and accountability at all levels ...


Maximising benefits of aid effectiveness

To maximise the benefits of aid effectiveness, the rural Water sector will require the following:

• Clear nationally-led strategies for service delivery, supported by development partners and other actors who are aligned behind national service delivery model(s)

• Agreement and implementation of commonly-accepted approaches, tools and standards as specified in country-specific service delivery model(s)

• Clarity for consumers and service providers about the service delivery model(s) including – expected levels of service – institutional roles and responsibilities


So what are the building blocks for a sustainable sector

• The sector internationally and in Ghana has identified a range of building blocks for sustainability

TRIPLE-S PRINCIPLES FRAMEWORK

Areas of Principle

Service Delivery Approach

Policy, legislation and institutional factors

Financing

Planning

Transparency and accountability

Learning and adaptive capacity

Awareness and skills

Culture of learning and information sharing

Harmonisation and Alignment

Harmonisation and alignment

Coordination


TRIPLE-S PRINCIPLES FRAMEWORK

Areas of Principle

Service Delivery Approach

Policy, legislation and institutional factors

Financing

Planning

Transparency and accountability

Learning and adaptive capacity

Awareness and skills

Culture of learning and information sharing

Harmonisation and Alignment

Harmonisation and alignment

Coordination

IRC – Principles Framework


WaterAid – Sector building blocks

WaterAid, 2011


AMCOW Country Status Overviews

AMCOW, 2010


Not one size fit all

• Putting this into practice requires context-specific building blocks within the frame of what is relevant to the realities of the country.


Identifying building blocks for Sustainable rural water services in Ghana

• IRC/Triple-S has supported CWSA to conduct an analysis of the rural water sector in Ghana– using the Principle Framework as a guide.– Through a research study of the rural water sector of

Ghana. • The analysis showed that most of what is required to provide

sustainable rural water is already in place in Ghana. • There are however missing pieces and linkages that require

attention


Gap betweenpolicy and practice

Fragmentation of approaches

Weak harmonisation and alignment

Unclear financial policy for

post construction support

Emphasis on constructionnot services

Lack of regulatoryframework

Unclear rolesand responsibilities

Weak service authority capacity

What’s missing for Ghana WASH sector?

District role not defined


What are we doing to fill the gaps• Heightened awareness on the issue of sustainability• Piloting District Ownership and Management as a key missing element of the broader

Community Ownership and Management service delivery model in three regions/district.• An agreement by the Community Water and Sanitation Agency and the World Bank to test

SDA through implementation of the Sustainable Rural Water and Sanitation Project under the World Bank IDA 75 million US$ credit facility.

• Revision and alignment of existing sector guidelines to include elements of the service delivery approach.

• Discussion on establishing sector information system is underway • Development and use of sustainability and functionality indicators based on the National

Norms and Standards for Water services• CWSA is developing a framework (based on sustainability and functionality indicators) to

undertake a national sustainability audit and functionality mapping exercise on existing systems

• Significant progress towards establishing the institutional and financing framework for sector harmonization and coordination – SSDP, SWAP Roadmap and workshops, signing of code of conduct, high level sector retreats etc.


Steps to address the missing pieces

National guidelines and agreed strategic approach

Sustainability and functionality indicators

Sector harmonization framework- SSDP, SWAP

roadmap and code of conducts

Piloting of District Ownership and

management concept

On-going dialogue on sector financing- to

clarify role and establish innovative mechanisms for post construction support

and capital maintenance,

Initiated process to enact LI for regulation


Conclusion• Achieving sustainable services requires many components to

be addressed– policy/strategy, planning and budgeting, financing, performance

monitoring, harmonization and alignment etc

• Good governance, accountability and the principles of aid effectiveness (ownership, harmonisation, alignment, management for results and mutual accountability) are all key components for sustainable WASH services

• In our WASH sector we are taking steps to ensure a good governance framework and improved service delivery


.

• .Government has an unavoidable role to play in this, as the only actor with the legitimacy to lead the sector in the provision of sustainable water services.

Yet, while government can lead the way, it will require the active support of national and international partners and financiers

NGOs have a crucial role to play in ensuring sustainable service delivery through facilitation, holding service providers to account, advocating for the poorest and encouraging innovation.


“If you go alone, you will go fast, but if we

go together we will go far”• Sustainability is our ultimatevision, but it takes time and

attention.

• Let’s all commit to anaccountable, sustainablesector that is well governedand thus make aid in thesector moreeffective


Points for reflection

• What are the implications of a service delivery paradigm for NGOs?- Governance, accountability and aid effectiveness– How do we tackle critical sector financing issues:

capital maintenance and direct support– Role of DAs in providing WASH services- how do we

ensure that they play their role; how do we support them; how do we hold them accountable?

– How do we align our interventions to shared sector policy, strategy, plans , standards and norms? ( SWAP, SSDP, DWSPs etc)


Documents

Governance, accountability and aid effectiveness: Towards sustainable rural water services