Government Facilitation of Public-Private Infrastructure Projects

Abstract

Two thirty-year concession contracts recently signed in the South African tons of Dolphin Coast and Nelspruit represent the state of the art in public-private partnership arrangements for water supply and sanitation services in that country. They also illustrate the magnitude of challenges associated with the planning and delivery of essential service provision in the “new” South Africa. Lessons learned from the two concessions concern the need for a supportive, consistent legal and regulatory framework, the need for coordination among national government stakeholders, the need for financial and technical assistance for local governments, and the need for thorough technical preparation by local governments.