This research article published by MDPI, 2018
This paper explores how transition management processes can be designed to address the
unsustainability of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in informal settlements in cities
in Sub-Saharan Africa. The unsustainability of services related to WASH in informal settlements
in Sub-Saharan Africa is deeply embedded in current societal and governance structures, cultures,
and practices; it is context-dependent and involves numerous actors with different interests. Based
on a literature review and empirical work in Arusha (Tanzania), Dodowa (Ghana), and Kampala
(Uganda), we identify five context dimensions that account for the unsustainability of WASH services:
(a) multiplicity of WASH practices, structures, and arrangements; (b) governance capacities for WASH
services and maintenance; (c) landownership for sustainable access to WASH; (d) public participation
in decision-making related to WASH; and (e) socio-economic inequalities governing access to WASH.
These dimensions pose numerous conceptual and application challenges for transition management.
Based on these challenges, recommendations are formulated for the design of a contextualized,
participatory transition management process that is not only functional, but also emancipatory