A common assertion is that the cost of water well drilling in sub-Saharan Africa is too high and that construction quality is regularly compromised. Over the last 20 years, several studies regarding this have been undertaken, covering more than ten countries in the region. Although drilling costs in sub-Saharan Africa are generally higher than in India, there are valid reasons for this. However, changes to borehole designs, procurement and contract management practices, well clustering for economies of scale, siting and supervision practices as well as support to and professionalization of the private sector can all serve to bring drilling costs down, and improve construction quality. This paper provides an overview of how drilling costs can be calculated. It pulls together the key issues that affect drilling costs and prices into a conceptual framework. The framework is subsequently used to compare policies and practices for the countries where information is readily available. The paper thus intends to raise awareness and improve the analytical capacity of implementers and decision-makers regarding measures that could be adopted to improve the cost-effectiveness of borehole drilling in their particular context.

Drilled boreholes are vital to achieving universal, safe drinking water and meeting Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.1, particularly in Africa. Poor quality siting, borehole design, drilling and completion lead to premature failure of the water supply. From 2004 to 2020, a multi-stakeholder initiative through the Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) has endeavored to raise the professionalism of borehole drilling and its management in Africa. The initiative comprised in-country and desk studies, training, and the development of guidelines, manuals, training materials, short animated films for advocacy as well as using blogs, webinars and online communities of practice to share experiences. The initiative was funded to approximately USD 750,000 in total. Funding was fragmented throughout, but the initial support by the World Bank Water and Sanitation Programme Africa (WSP-AF), consistent leadership and subsequent partnerships between Skat Foundation, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), WaterAid UK and others enabled progression on the topic, as well as innovation and opportunities to be harnessed. The initiative has raised the profile of drilling professionalism, provided a wealth of materials and inspired others to take action. Thousands of stakeholders have improved their knowledge. Academic research on the topic has also increased and capacity strengthening of groundwater management and professional drilling is now an action area for the African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW). UNICEF and WaterAid are among the organizations that have made changes to procurement and project management as a result of the initiative. Despite a growing recognition of the importance of drilling professionalism, reliable, long-term investment in in-country training and professional development, and addressing challenges in the institutional environment remains inadequate. Despite the importance of water well drilling, and commitments to SDG 6.1’s, capacity strengthening in this area remains a marginal issue for national and international political leadership, and arguably for international funding agencies.

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