Swedish Zambian Health Partnership - A case analysis of a potential Public Private Development Partnership

Abstract: The Zambian Ministry of Health has started an ambitious health reform program. The program includes new ways of cooperation including enhancing partnerships with the private sector in order to improve the nation’s health and move towards the health related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of the Millennium Declaration, which the nation has adopted. At the same time the Swedish Government is increasing private sector participation in its international development cooperation strategies, which is quite a new concept in Sweden. This thesis analyzes this new concept called Public Private Development Partnerships (PPDPs) in development cooperation, by looking at an ongoing project between Swedish and Zambian actors. The thesis discusses the advantages and drawbacks of PPDPs as well as trying to assess factors such as efficiency and conflict of interest. The thesis is doing so by using a qualitative research design based on interviews with topic guides, to lead the interviews, combined with notes from field studies in Zambia during the Swedish Health Delegation in February 2013. The interviews were conducted during formal meetings at the ministries as well as in less formal settings during hospital tours. The thesis is further grounded in analysis of governmental development plans and case study research. The result of the study shows that the Swedish Zambian Health Partnership is likely to be efficiently delivered as a PPDP if implemented with the Saving Mothers Giving Life Public Private Partnership already in place. It is however difficult to thoroughly evaluate the efficiency of PPDPs in development cooperation since no comprehensive comparison is available. In order to thoroughly assess the efficiency of PPDPs there is a need for academic research to further analyze the potentials, limitations and effects of these partnerships. Nevertheless, PPDPs contribute to cooperation between different actors, which is seen as an important component of efficiency in humanitarian action.