Performance of private, community, and public operators in the water sector in Democratic Republic of Congo[Performances des opérateurs privés, communautaires et publics du secteur de l’eau en République Démocratique du Congo]

This study presents a comparative analysis of the performance of private, community, and public operators in the water sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Despite the abundance of water resources, less than half of the Congolese population has access to potable water. Government reforms have introduced various management models for water services, making it essential to monitor the performance of these operators. Given that the issue of performance is multidimensional, we have focused our analysis on fundamental criteria such as effectiveness and efficiency through financial indicators like production costs, unit prices, and profit margins. These criteria have guided this examination of three operators: the private commercial company Congo Maji SARL, the community association ASUREP MALO, and the public company REGIDESO SA. Considering data collected between 2018 and 2023, we found that the REGIDESO SA has lower average production costs but incurs losses, while Congo Maji SARL shows positive profit margins. In contrast, ASUREP MALO records high costs and fluctuating margins. The study concludes that an integrated approach is essential to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of water services in the Democratic Republic of Congo.