Key Findings of a Sanitation Supply Chains Study in Eastern and Southern Africa

Access to improved sanitation is still a major challenge in the 21 countries of the Eastern and Southern Africa Region (ESAR): nearly a quarter of the population practices open defecation and 40% use unimproved latrines. The challenge is twofold: changing behaviors towards adopting improved sanitation practices, and providing a supply chain of services and materials for building latrines for the rural population. This technical brief is based on the main findings of a report commissioned by UNICEF entitled Regional Supply Chains for Sanitation in Eastern and Southern Africa. The objectives of this study were: To provide an in-depth review of sanitation commodity/raw material pricing across the Region; to review availability of sanitation products/materials from a regional perspective; to review opportunities and barriers to inter-country trade in the Region; to review access to appropriate services and products from a rural user’s perspective.