Overseas Development Institute2022-01-112022-01-112004https://nru.uncst.go.ug/xmlui/handle/123456789/1183With the increased prominence of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) in setting national policy agendas and mobilizing resources within developing countries, it is becoming increasingly important for sectors to engage in the PRSP process. However, the Water and Sanitation Sector (WSS) has been poorly integrated into PRSP and budgetary processes, contrasting sharply with sectors such as Education and Health that are lent greater priority in PRSP documentation, and subsequently benefit from larger resource allocations. This brief examines why WSS has not fared well in PRSP processes in Africa. Based on a study commissioned by the Water and Sanitation Program–Africa, the paper analyzes the integration of WSS in PRSPs in three Sub- Saharan African countries – Uganda, Zambia and Malawi – and compares this to generic experiences in Education and Health sectors. It provides recommendations on how WSS actors can better align themselves towards PRSP process and take actions to help the sector gain priority in PRSP and budget processes.A major premise in the PRSP approach is that the participatory process of developing a PRSP will help build political commitment. Donors and civil society can, through supporting such participatory processes, help provide the external impetus needed to ensure that poverty reduction remains on the political agenda. However, there is no guarantee that this will create commitment. It is still inconclusive whether participatory processes can build the levels of political commitment required for PRSPs to become instruments that can be implemented and actually deliver results.en