Developing country companies have become a driving force of private participation in water projects

Since 2002 developing country companies have been the main sponsors in a growing number of water projects. In the charts, the main private sponsor is the sponsor with the largest share in a project (while sponsors in the PPI database are private entities with an equity participation of at least 15 percent). By investment commitments, however, developing country companies accounted for a small share of private activity, except in some large Asian water utility concessions such as the ones in Manila in 1997, Johor in 2000, and Syabas in 2004. Further discussions on the current status of public-private partnerships in the water supply and sanitation sector can be found at OECD Global Forum on “Public-Private Partnerships in Water Supply and Sanitation – Recent Trends and New Opportunities”.