Pro-Poor Subsidies for Water Connections in West Africa – A Preliminary Study

This document aims to make an initial evaluation of the subsidy schemes established in Senegal and Cote d’Ivoire for providing piped water to the poor, in order to assess how well social and ordinary connections work and possibly apply them in other emerging economies. “A social connection, aimed at the poor, is free, whereas an ordinary connection, aimed at wealthier households, must be paid for. A well-designed subsidy needs to meet four criteria: (a) it must respond to a genuine need, (b) it should serve the poor, (c) it should have low administrative costs, and (d) it should avoid perverse incentives. Study tasks included (a) examining the institutions, policies, and procedures for providing subsidized connections; (b) evaluating how well the schemes meet their objectives, and (c) identifying negative outcomes.”