Assessing community-based water management and governance systems in North-West Cameroon using a Cultural Theory and Systems Approach

Abstract

Abstract The drive to ensure regular and reliable access to domestic water supplies is a major challenge for governments across sub-Saharan Africa. This study investigated the rural water systems in North-West Cameroon across rural districts using the lenses of Cultural Theory and Systems Thinking Analysis (STA). Different social groups were classified using Cultural Theory to assist in appreciating and presenting solutions to preventing water resources becoming degraded and ensure water supplies are maintained. STA focuses on causal feedback principles and therefore, was used to evaluate relationships between the stakeholders and systems. Thereby allowing the development of a suggested policy intervention mechanism for sustainable community-based Water Management (CBWM) in the region under study. Findings revealed that in Cameroon, the provisioning of domestic water to rural residents faces significant hurdles. This is due, in part, to the centralisation of governance, where the national government determines how water resources are managed throughout the country. This is despite the promulgation of laws that support the decentralisation of decision-making. It was found that CBWM systems prevailed due to the enormous contributions of local inhabitants, extended community networks and the diaspora. However, CBWM serve to reinforce the status and situational power of local elites, government officials and, to a lesser degree, men. Therefore, a concerted effort to implement a more democratic and transparent politico-cultural mechanism to manage water resources could serve both to resolve water management conflicts and develop suitable policy intervention mechanisms for sustainable CBWM.