TAPS AND TOILETS HOW GREATER ACCESS CAN RADICALLY IMPROVE AFRICA’S FUTURE

The document argues that achieving an annual improvement of nearly 2 percentage points in water and sanitation access across Africa would significantly reduce child malnutrition and infant mortality, increase GDP, and lower the probability of state failure. It identifies that such progress requires an additional public investment of nearly US $35 billion over 40 years, primarily targeting sanitation. The analysis highlights that success in this sector is driven by public policy, institutional management, and finance rather than technology, citing examples from Burkina Faso and Ethiopia.

• An aggressive annual improvement in water and sanitation access of just under 2 percentage points would result in 18 million fewer malnourished children by 2030, a US $75 billion increase in GDP by 2040, and 17 million fewer people living on less than US $1.25 a day by 2050.
• The public cost for achieving a 2 percentage point annual improvement is estimated at nearly US $35 billion over the next 40 years, which is in addition to a base case investment of US $110 billion needed to maintain and build basic infrastructure. The majority of this increased investment should be directed toward safe sanitation.
• Improved access to water and sanitation is projected to increase African GDP by 3% over the base case and 6% over a pessimistic scenario by 2050. The income difference between the base and improved cases by 2050 is over US $200 billion.
• The aggressive scenario forecasts a 20% reduction in infant mortality by 2030 compared to the base case, equating to roughly nine fewer deaths per 1,000 live births. The most significant reductions are expected in Chad, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• Failure to improve water and sanitation access increases the probability of state failure. By 2030, the probability of state failure is on average 40% higher if no improvements are made compared to rapid improvements, with the largest increases seen in Somalia, Burundi, Niger, and Ethiopia.
• Success in improving water and sanitation is attributed to public policy environments, institutional management, finance, and social structures rather than technology or geography. Key success factors include strictly defined institutional arrangements, clear policy frameworks, and substantial donor funding.

APA

Eshbaugh, M., Firnhaber, E., McLennan, P., Moyer, J. D., & Torkelson, E. (2011). TAPS AND TOILETS HOW GREATER ACCESS CAN RADICALLY IMPROVE AFRICA’S FUTURE. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/No1_25Aug2011.pdf

Chicago

Eshbaugh, Mark, Eric Firnhaber, Patrick McLennan, Jonathan D Moyer, and Erin Torkelson. TAPS AND TOILETS HOW GREATER ACCESS CAN RADICALLY IMPROVE AFRICA’S FUTURE. Institute for Security Studies, 2011. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/No1_25Aug2011.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Eshbaugh |first1=Mark |last2=Firnhaber |first2=Eric |last3=McLennan |first3=Patrick |last4=Moyer |first4=Jonathan D |last5=Torkelson |first5=Erin |title=TAPS AND TOILETS HOW GREATER ACCESS CAN RADICALLY IMPROVE AFRICA’S FUTURE |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=25 August 2011 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/No1_25Aug2011.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{eshbaugh2011taps, author = {Eshbaugh, Mark and Firnhaber, Eric and McLennan, Patrick and Moyer, Jonathan D and Torkelson, Erin}, title = {{TAPS AND TOILETS HOW GREATER ACCESS CAN RADICALLY IMPROVE AFRICA’S FUTURE}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2011}, month = aug, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/No1_25Aug2011.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }