6. Summary and Conclusions on the Water-Energy-Food Nexus

My last two posts (link and link) focused upon the water-energy-food nexus (WEF Nexus) approach and its potential implications for water, food and development in Africa. Having reread both posts I am conscience of the fact that I didn’t really offer many conclusions on the WEF Nexus approach’s continued operation in Africa as well as how having read about the WEF Nexus approach my initial ideas of water management in Africa have changed. 

Prior to finding out about the WEF Nexus approach my initial thoughts were that asymmetric power dynamics were the principal obstacle to water and food as a pathway to development. This was largely a consequence of my awareness of the majority of the population sharing transboundary water resources as well as power asymmetries being embedded in the mechanisms of water allocation. Consequently, I foresaw the WEF Nexus approach as a system that could overcome these power dynamics by modelling a holistic representation of the impact of water projects on a variety of users. 

The WEF Nexus approach principally aims to overcome fragmented and state-centric water management that is currently the trend on transboundary rivers in Africa. It aims to achieve this by providing a holistic representation of a water projects impact on the three intersecting criteria and other riparian states. As a consequence, the WEF Nexus approach has been envisaged by some as a valuable tool for ensuring sustainable development is attained in Africa. I too think that the WEF Nexus approach will be a valuable system for water, food and development in Africa as it enables water projects to be conducted in a way that is considerate of other users and other nations and should consequently overcome the power asymmetries that initially served as obstacles to development. However, there are some limitations to the WEF Nexus approach in Africa, such as Member States not seeing a need to adopt it and instead want to ensure sovereignty. Furthermore, some research has found that the WEF Nexus approach can entrench poverty in African regions. Consequently, it seems that the WEF Nexus approach would be best employed as a tool for informing policies and planning as opposed to solely dictating them. Thus, allowing the WEF Nexus to operate as representing the state of the water resource and implication of proposed policy rather than a mechanism for producing policy. This will allow for the continuation of water and food as a sustainable vehicle for development in Africa.