Groundwater management in the Horn of Africa: Conflict, scarcity, and hybrid governance

This policy brief is drawn from a study which explores the dynamics related to water, fragility, and social exclusion that should inform the development or rehabilitation of rural water supply services in Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia. In the borderlands of the Horn of Africa, climate variability and population growth are leading to the increasing scarcity of resources, including pasture and water.

The policy brief provides recommendations aimed at policymakers and development/humanitarian actors engaged in groundwater development in the borderlands of the Horn of Africa:

• Consider conflict dynamics, ownership, and control more carefully in project design.
• Develop more flexible governance involving both formal and informal institutions in water management.
• Ensure water development is conflict-sensitive and context-specific.
• Consult and engage more widely when developing water projects.
• Make water-sharing agreements clearer and more equitable and prioritize enforcement.