Sector Wide Approaches (SWAps)
Building the water sector in Southern Africa through collaboration by involving key stakeholders and using the sector wide approach (SWAp). The Southern Africa regional team is sharing lessons about SWAps in the water sector with other countries on the continent.
Briefing note Sector Wide Approach in the water services sector
This briefing note focuses on the sector wide approach, commonly called a SWAp. It highlights the problems a SWAp aims to address, the benefits of a SWAp, key components of the approach and the main factors for success.The sector wide approach is an approach which supports a country-led programme to build the sector in a coordinated manner. It is a way of working where funding for the sector, both government and donor funding, is pooled to support a single sector policy and a sector expenditure programme.
One of the main benefits of SWAp is that it should lead to more efficient use of resources from national budgets, user contributions and development partners. Thus the sector can maximize the overall investment in the sector towards achieving the national water and sanitation MDG targets. A coherent sector policy is at the heart of any successful SWAp. It needs to focus government, development partners and other sector stakeholders on achieving collective results. It should be consistent with government’s overall strategic objectives, including the poverty reduction strategy. This 12- pages note draws from a range of references on the sector wide approach in the water sector as well as from country experiences.
Harpe-2010-Sector.pdf (1.0 MB)
Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) in Practice sharing seminar between South Africa and Mozambique
Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) in Practice in South Africa and Mozambique will be the theme of a two-day lesson sharing seminar in Pretoria South Africa from 25 to 26 May 2010.
SWAPs in the water sector
Many lessons have been learnt from water sector SWAps which illustrate that the approach has the potential to not only build the water sector but also to put in place mechanisms for lesson sharing, acceleration of the MDGs, accountability and more sustainable service delivery practices. If SWAps can harness this potential they certainly will become the mainstream approach to tackle backlogs and sustainability challenges in the water sector.
Water SWAPs in motion
This paper has been developed as a contribution to the Joint Learning Programme (JLP) on Sector Wide Approaches. The JLP offers sector-specific in-country learning events for development agency partners and domestic stakeholders and is financed by Denmark, EU, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the U.K. The note has been written by Nils Boesen, Jean de la Harpe and Erma Uytewaal, from the consultant team contracted to facilitate the JLP events. The paper first outlines key characteristics of the water sector. It then presents common features of successful SWAps, followed by a discussion of challenges to water SWAps. The paper draws particularly on the experiences from water SWAps in Bangladesh, Bolivia, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Nicaragua, South Africa and Zambia where learning events have been held in the context of the Joint Learning Progamme on SWAps or in the context of the European Union Water Initiative.
Boesen-2008-Water.pdf (165.7 kB)
Sector wide approach South Africa
The South African sector wide approach (SWAp) started in 2001 in the water and sanitation services sub-sector. “We don’t call it a sector wide approach, we call it Masibambane – this means “Let’s work together”. For us it is everyone, not just the water people. Actually without us, local government, they would not have a sector, because we are a very big player in this sector."
