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In numerous countries of Sub-Saharan Africa the strategic agenda of the water-sector is undergoing substantial change because of demographic pressure, climate change and economic transformation. Two new policy questions are arising from the need to make better use of available groundwater storage to improve water-supply security: What is the scope for promoting much increased groundwater use for irrigated agriculture, and how might the investment risks be reduced and sustainable outcomes ensured? How can the demand to expand urban groundwater use, for both further supplementing municipal water-supply systems and for direct in situ water supply, be best channelled to maximise the benefits whilst minimising the risks? This 'new agenda' poses very different challenges from the long-standing requirement to provide rural water supplies of adequate coverage, reliability and quality (which, while still not yet fully addressed, is outside the scope of this paper). Balanced answers to these new questions are needed to provide a sound basis for appropriate investment policies on managed groundwater development and adequate institutional provisions for their implementation. They are discussed here from the standpoint of the GW-MATE experience in some World Bank-supported projects in eastern Africa during 2001-2010, together with a review of some developments in western Africa and insights from parts of Asia and Latin America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provision of sufficient water of good quality under growing water demands and increasing climate variability will be one of the main concerns for water managers in the coming decades. It is generally accepted that an integrated approach is required in which resource development options and demand management go hand in hand to provide a management structure with balances between immediate demand from different user groups and the short- and long-term environmental functions of our global water resources. Groundwater plays an important role in achieving this goal provided that its interaction with surface water is fully recognized and its function is fully integrated in land and water planning. The success of integrated water resources management will also benefit from a broader partnership in planning, development and management of our water resources. The focal role of central government is gradually complemented with a growing responsibility of lower levels in the public sector and broader partnerships with the private sector. This paper describes the comparative characteristics of groundwater and its functions in integrated water resources management. Some major trends are discussed in the use of aquifers for enhancing the role of groundwater to cope with increasing water demands and changes in climate variability: the use of brackish groundwater; and the enhancement of recharge and subsurface storage and the ability of aquifers to ameliorate water quality. These potential developments offer good opportunities to enhance the role of the private sector under the regulatory control of the government. These options are particularly important for the Middle East and North Africa region as coping strategies to alleviate the present water scarcity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]