Fifteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

Diagnosing all coordination gaps in Cameroon represents one of the primary challenges of the multi-level governance of the water policy. The objective of this study is to explore the degree in which effective coordination and implementation of water policies is compromised by multi-level governance gaps in Cameroon. Institutional arrangements are deeply rooted in the national heritage, history, and values; as a result, water governance is based on this institutional background. In practice, the multiplicity of actors across ministries and public agencies, between levels of government, and at the sub-national level intrinsically raises multi-level governance challenges. We base our analysis on the assumption that national based policies integrating the specificities and institutional setting of communities and regions can improve governance. Comparison of local scheme capacity and coordination challenges in the Western Highlands of Cameroon show unclear, overlapping, and fragmented roles and responsibilities across areas and levels. The water sector is affected by numerous external drivers, which generate externalities. Hence, the multiplicity of actors who are mutually dependent can constitute risks of confusion and conflicts. The research concludes that the informality of institutions and property rights in small town water governance harbor complex socio-economic situations, which are a common feature in the three sites studied (Bali, Bafou, and Kumbo), where rights overlap in both time and space with a variety of intensity degrees to the management of different water schemes. Such processes are not predictable, because of the specific characteristics of each community, and one has to deal with setbacks and conflict.