Contested access: improving water security through benefit sharing

This article examines the potential and limits of benefit-sharing regimes in improving water security. It draws on a case study of benefit-sharing regimes focusing on the non-consumptive use of the Zambezi River basin. It demonstrates how these regimes have transformed over time from hierarchical to egalitarian benefit-sharing arrangements through the application of conflict-resolution mechanisms. This case analysis is aimed at informing benefit-sharing policies for African river basins.