Who's afraid of privatisation in Africa? The successes, heartbreaks, and (sometimes bizarre) reversals

The recent announcement that a private American firm could be taking over public education has elicited strong reactions around the continent. “The deal will see the government of Liberia direct public funding for education to support services subcontracted to Bridge International Academies, a private, for-profit, US-based company.” The Mail & Guardian points out that privatisation in South Africa has a troubling record: “a 1999 privatisation in Mpumalanga, South Africa led to an increase of up to 69% in the cost of water in the municipality Mbombela. When communal taps were replaced by a prepaid metering system people were forced to turn to rivers for their water, leading to disease outbreaks.”