Medium-scale piped water supply in low-income urban areas in developing countries: the potential for formal participation by the indigenous private sector

Partnerships between developing country governments and the private sector are increasingly being seen as a means of improving water service provision and delivery to rapidly growing urban populations. So far, formal engagement with the private sector has been mainly through international water service companies. The indigenous private sector has generally been involved in small-scale informal provision in low-income urban areas. This research assesses the potential for formal participation by the indigenous private sector, in operating at a scale intermediate between small-scale informal provision and large-scale urban water utility operation, to participate effectively in the provision and delivery of piped water supply. The study is based on a case study of a water supply concession in Central Nigeria in an urban area close to the capital city that has experienced rapid population growth in recent years. [Continues.]