Cabo Verde, also known as Cape Verde, is an island country situated in the Atlantic Ocean, 620 km off the coast of West Africa. The country’s archipelago consists of ten volcanic islands, nine of which are inhabited.
Cabo Verde is divided into 22 municipalities (concelhos) and subdivided into 32 parishes (freguesias). Some islands constitute their municipality while others are divided into several. The country’s capital, Praia, is located on the largest island, Santiago.
Country Overview | Year | Figure |
---|---|---|
Population | 2021 | 587,925 |
Country Area (km2) | 2021 | 4,030 |
GDP (billion USD) | 2021 | 1.94 |
GDP per capita (USD) | 2021 | 3,293.2 |
World Bank Income Group | 2021 | Lower middle Income |
World Bank Region | 2021 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
Water and Wastewater Sector Structure
The sector is composed of various actors: national water utility, municipal water and sanitation utilities and/or departments, intermunicipal companies and private water supply and wastewater companies.
The largest operator in the country is Electra, a multi-utility whose production and distribution of water is limited to the islands of Sao Vincente and Sal. Until 2017 Electra was also providing water to the largest island Santiago, when newly established Aguas de Santiago took over the distribution of water in the most populous island.
According to the progress review of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2019, 71.7% of homes in Cabo Verde were connected to the public grid as their main source of water and around 85% of households have access to sanitary systems.
Authority | Level | Role |
---|---|---|
National Water and Sanitation Agency (ANAS) | National | Responsible for the implementation of government policies in the water and sanitation sector, as well as strategic planning, technical regulation, supervision and monitoring services for the production, distribution and sale of water, collection, treatment and disposal of liquid effluents. |
Multisectoral Regulatory Agency for the Economy (ARME) | National | Economic regulator of the water and wastewater sector, empowered to regulate water tariffs and quality of service provision by water utilities. |
Ministry of Agriculture and Environment | National | Environmental regulator for the water and wastewater sector. |
Water and wastewater service providers | Regional and municipal | Regulated utilities of different ownership type (public, private and Hybrid), geographic scope and modality of service provided. |
In Cabo Verde, two autonomous regulatory agencies, the National Water and Sanitation Agency (ANAS) and the Multisectoral Regulatory Agency for the Economy (ARME), share responsibility for the water and wastewater sector regulation. Their mandates and functions are established in separate legal instruments, with clearly defined roles. ANAS is a technical regulator, responsible for the development and enforcement of technical standards for service quality, water resource management, and effluent disposal, among others. ARME performs economic regulation, including review and approval of tariffs, development of standards for financial management and reporting, and monitoring of financial performance.
Both agencies closely collaborate on regulation of water and wastewater providers, in the form of joint inspections and publication of joint reports. They have also established a comprehensive set of regulatory mechanisms, including standards and guidelines for a range of aspects of water and wastewater services as well as monitoring and performance reporting systems.
The ARME was created under Decree Law No. 50/2018 as an administrative and independent authority. The sectors in which ARME holds regulatory authority are communications, energy, water, and public urban and interurban passenger transport.
Water and Wastewater Regulations
Legislation and Policies | Year | Description |
---|---|---|
Decree-Law No. 50/2018 | 2018 | Creates the Multisectoral Regulatory Agency for the Economy (ARME). |
Law No. 46/VIII | 2013 | Creates the National Agency for Water and Sanitation (ANAS). |
Decree-Law No. 26/2016 | 2016 | Establishes the tariff policy for the water and sanitation sector, including its guidelines and strategies. |
Act No. 41/II/84 | 1984 | Defines the legal basis of the legal ownership, protection, conservation, development, administration, and use of water resources in Cape Verde. |
Areas of Regulation
Areas | Water Services Regulatory Authority (ARRU) |
---|---|
Tariff Calculation | Yes |
Tariff Approval | Yes |
Licensing Water and/or Wastewater Service Providers | No |
Business plans approvals | No |
Performance indicators monitoring | Yes |
Economic Data Collection | Yes |
Technical Data Collection | Yes |
Utility | Tariff Date | Link |
---|---|---|
ELECTRA S.A. - Empresa de Electricidade e Agua | 2023 | Tariff |
A list of water and wastewater tariffs for Angola can be found in the IBNET Tariff Database - Cabo Verde