Why is a proven, simple technology which offers major economic advantages apparently finding some difficulty in gaining a foothold in Africa? Could it be too cheap for donors and too expensive for users? If the answers were simple, we would either have mushrooming production or complete abandonment. It may just be that as a 'new kid on the block', requiring new ways of thinking and new policies, the transfer process will take longer than expected. This paper explores some of the undoubted advantages which have convinced so many that its adoption has major benefits which should not be ignored. However it also examines some of the weaknesses and uncertainties which may be hindering acceptance of the pump by donors, governments and end-users. Addressing these weaknesses is essential if the pump is to fulfil any real potential to contribute to MDG (Millennium Development Goal) targets for water, health and poverty alleviation.

Alberts, J.H. (2004) ‘The rope pump: An example of technology transfer’, Waterlines 22(3): 22-5.

Bombas de Mecate (1998) ‘Manual of experiences and tolerances in rope pump production’ [online] http://www.ropepump.com/ttp/ttp6-4.htm [accessed 19 February 2009]. http://www.ropepump.com/ttp/ttp6-4.htm

Bombas de Mecate (2002) Report on Follow-up and Fact-finding Mission, Technical Transfer Division report, Bombas de Mecate, Managua, Nicaragua.

FAO Statistics Division (2008) ‘PopSTAT, Annual Time series 2008’ [online] http:/faostat.fao.org/site/550/default.aspx [accessed 10 February 2009. http:/faostat.fao.org/site/550/default.aspx

Gorter, A. (1998) Childhood diarrhoea and its prevention in Nicaragua, doctoral thesis, Maastricht University, Netherlands.

Harvey, P. and Drouin, T. (2006) ‘The case for the rope-pump in Africa: A comparative performance analysis’, Journal of Water and Health 4(4).

Hughes, L.A. (2004) ‘Impacts of the rope and washer pump in a water and sanitation project, Rift Valley Province, Kenya’, MSc Thesis, Cranfield University Institute of Water and Environment.

Ideas at Work (2008) Customer Satisfaction and Technical Performance Survey of Rope Pump, Ideas at Work.

Lambert, R. and Faulkner, R. (1991) ‘Household pumps from the informal sector’. Proceedings of the 17th WEDC Conference, Nairobi, Kenya, 19-23 August 1991.

Sampson, M. (2008) Water quality assessment of hand-dug wells (Cambodia), Resource Development International, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Still, D.A., Nash, S.R. and MacCarthy, M.F. (2004) ‘South African experience with hand-augured shallow wells in coastal aquifers’, paper presented at the IWA/WAMDEC Conference, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, 28-30 July 2004.

Sutton, S. (2008) ‘The risk of a technology-based MDG indicator for rural water supply’, Proceedings of 33rd WEDC Conference, Accra, Ghana, 7-11 April 2008.

Tadesse, D., Desta, A., Geyid, A., Girma, W., Fisseha, S. and Schmoll, O. (2006) Rapid Assessment of Drinking-water Quality in the Federal Republic of Ethiopia. Country report, WHO/Federal Ministry of Health, EHNRI, UNICEF.

UNDP (2006) Human Development Report. Beyond Scarcity, UNDP, New York. UNICEF/WHO (2008) Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation Updates [online] http://documents.wssinfo.org [accessed 10 February 2009]. http://documents.wssinfo.org

United Nations Population Division (2008) ‘World Urbanization Prospects: The 2007 Revision’ [online] http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wup2007/2007wup.htm [accessed 10 February 2009]. http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wup2007/2007wup.htm

WaterAid (2004) Piloting the Rope Pump in Ghana [online] WaterAid briefing paper 2004, no. 1, available from: http://www.wateraid.org/documents/plugin_documents/pilotingtheropepump.pdf [accessed 10 February 2009]. http://www.wateraid.org/documents/plugin_documents/pilotingtheropepump.pdf

WHO & UNICEF (2005) Draft Guidelines for Drinking Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Related Household Questions, WHO/UNICEF/Joint Monitoring Programme.

World Resources Institute (2006) ‘Economics, Business and the Environment’, EarthTrends Environmental Information [online] http://earthtrends.wri.org [accessed 10 February 2009]. http://earthtrends.wri.org

WSP (2001) The Rope Pump: Private Sector Technology Transfer from Nicaragua to Ghana. WSP report 31426, UNDP Water and Sanitation Programme.

WSP (2004) Low Cost Pump Alternatives for Rural Communities in Honduras, WSP Field Note, UNDP Water and Sanitation Programme, Lima, Peru.

WSP (2008) ‘El Mercado de las Bombas de Mecate en Nicaragua’, WSP-LAC report [online] http://www.wsp.org/UserFiles/file/Estudio_de_Bombas_Final.pdf [accessed November 2008]. http://www.wsp.org/UserFiles/file/Estudio_de_Bombas_Final.pdf

Alberts, J.H. (2004) ‘The rope pump: An example of technology transfer’, Waterlines 22(3): 22-5.

Bombas de Mecate (1998) ‘Manual of experiences and tolerances in rope pump production’ [online] http://www.ropepump.com/ttp/ttp6-4.htm [accessed 19 February 2009]. http://www.ropepump.com/ttp/ttp6-4.htm

Bombas de Mecate (2002) Report on Follow-up and Fact-finding Mission, Technical Transfer Division report, Bombas de Mecate, Managua, Nicaragua.

FAO Statistics Division (2008) ‘PopSTAT, Annual Time series 2008’ [online] http:/faostat.fao.org/site/550/default.aspx [accessed 10 February 2009. http:/faostat.fao.org/site/550/default.aspx

Gorter, A. (1998) Childhood diarrhoea and its prevention in Nicaragua, doctoral thesis, Maastricht University, Netherlands.

Harvey, P. and Drouin, T. (2006) ‘The case for the rope-pump in Africa: A comparative performance analysis’, Journal of Water and Health 4(4).

Hughes, L.A. (2004) ‘Impacts of the rope and washer pump in a water and sanitation project, Rift Valley Province, Kenya’, MSc Thesis, Cranfield University Institute of Water and Environment.

Ideas at Work (2008) Customer Satisfaction and Technical Performance Survey of Rope Pump, Ideas at Work.

Lambert, R. and Faulkner, R. (1991) ‘Household pumps from the informal sector’. Proceedings of the 17th WEDC Conference, Nairobi, Kenya, 19-23 August 1991.

Sampson, M. (2008) Water quality assessment of hand-dug wells (Cambodia), Resource Development International, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Still, D.A., Nash, S.R. and MacCarthy, M.F. (2004) ‘South African experience with hand-augured shallow wells in coastal aquifers’, paper presented at the IWA/WAMDEC Conference, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, 28-30 July 2004.

Sutton, S. (2008) ‘The risk of a technology-based MDG indicator for rural water supply’, Proceedings of 33rd WEDC Conference, Accra, Ghana, 7-11 April 2008.

Tadesse, D., Desta, A., Geyid, A., Girma, W., Fisseha, S. and Schmoll, O. (2006) Rapid Assessment of Drinking-water Quality in the Federal Republic of Ethiopia. Country report, WHO/Federal Ministry of Health, EHNRI, UNICEF.

UNDP (2006) Human Development Report. Beyond Scarcity, UNDP, New York. UNICEF/WHO (2008) Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation Updates [online] http://documents.wssinfo.org [accessed 10 February 2009]. http://documents.wssinfo.org

United Nations Population Division (2008) ‘World Urbanization Prospects: The 2007 Revision’ [online] http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wup2007/2007wup.htm [accessed 10 February 2009]. http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wup2007/2007wup.htm

WaterAid (2004) Piloting the Rope Pump in Ghana [online] WaterAid briefing paper 2004, no. 1, available from: http://www.wateraid.org/documents/plugin_documents/pilotingtheropepump.pdf [accessed 10 February 2009]. http://www.wateraid.org/documents/plugin_documents/pilotingtheropepump.pdf

WHO & UNICEF (2005) Draft Guidelines for Drinking Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Related Household Questions, WHO/UNICEF/Joint Monitoring Programme.

World Resources Institute (2006) ‘Economics, Business and the Environment’, EarthTrends Environmental Information [online] http://earthtrends.wri.org [accessed 10 February 2009]. http://earthtrends.wri.org

WSP (2001) The Rope Pump: Private Sector Technology Transfer from Nicaragua to Ghana. WSP report 31426, UNDP Water and Sanitation Programme.

WSP (2004) Low Cost Pump Alternatives for Rural Communities in Honduras, WSP Field Note, UNDP Water and Sanitation Programme, Lima, Peru.

WSP (2008) ‘El Mercado de las Bombas de Mecate en Nicaragua’, WSP-LAC report [online] http://www.wsp.org/UserFiles/file/Estudio_de_Bombas_Final.pdf [accessed November 2008]. http://www.wsp.org/UserFiles/file/Estudio_de_Bombas_Final.pdf

Alberts, J.H. (2004) ‘The rope pump: An example of technology transfer’, Waterlines 22(3): 22-5.

Bombas de Mecate (1998) ‘Manual of experiences and tolerances in rope pump production’ [online] http://www.ropepump.com/ttp/ttp6-4.htm [accessed 19 February 2009]. http://www.ropepump.com/ttp/ttp6-4.htm

Bombas de Mecate (2002) Report on Follow-up and Fact-finding Mission, Technical Transfer Division report, Bombas de Mecate, Managua, Nicaragua.

FAO Statistics Division (2008) ‘PopSTAT, Annual Time series 2008’ [online] http:/faostat.fao.org/site/550/default.aspx [accessed 10 February 2009. http:/faostat.fao.org/site/550/default.aspx

Gorter, A. (1998) Childhood diarrhoea and its prevention in Nicaragua, doctoral thesis, Maastricht University, Netherlands.

Harvey, P. and Drouin, T. (2006) ‘The case for the rope-pump in Africa: A comparative performance analysis’, Journal of Water and Health 4(4).

Hughes, L.A. (2004) ‘Impacts of the rope and washer pump in a water and sanitation project, Rift Valley Province, Kenya’, MSc Thesis, Cranfield University Institute of Water and Environment.

Ideas at Work (2008) Customer Satisfaction and Technical Performance Survey of Rope Pump, Ideas at Work.

Lambert, R. and Faulkner, R. (1991) ‘Household pumps from the informal sector’. Proceedings of the 17th WEDC Conference, Nairobi, Kenya, 19-23 August 1991.

Sampson, M. (2008) Water quality assessment of hand-dug wells (Cambodia), Resource Development International, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Still, D.A., Nash, S.R. and MacCarthy, M.F. (2004) ‘South African experience with hand-augured shallow wells in coastal aquifers’, paper presented at the IWA/WAMDEC Conference, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, 28-30 July 2004.

Sutton, S. (2008) ‘The risk of a technology-based MDG indicator for rural water supply’, Proceedings of 33rd WEDC Conference, Accra, Ghana, 7-11 April 2008.

Tadesse, D., Desta, A., Geyid, A., Girma, W., Fisseha, S. and Schmoll, O. (2006) Rapid Assessment of Drinking-water Quality in the Federal Republic of Ethiopia. Country report, WHO/Federal Ministry of Health, EHNRI, UNICEF.

UNDP (2006) Human Development Report. Beyond Scarcity, UNDP, New York. UNICEF/WHO (2008) Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation Updates [online] http://documents.wssinfo.org [accessed 10 February 2009]. http://documents.wssinfo.org

United Nations Population Division (2008) ‘World Urbanization Prospects: The 2007 Revision’ [online] http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wup2007/2007wup.htm [accessed 10 February 2009]. http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wup2007/2007wup.htm

WaterAid (2004) Piloting the Rope Pump in Ghana [online] WaterAid briefing paper 2004, no. 1, available from: http://www.wateraid.org/documents/plugin_documents/pilotingtheropepump.pdf [accessed 10 February 2009]. http://www.wateraid.org/documents/plugin_documents/pilotingtheropepump.pdf

WHO & UNICEF (2005) Draft Guidelines for Drinking Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Related Household Questions, WHO/UNICEF/Joint Monitoring Programme.

World Resources Institute (2006) ‘Economics, Business and the Environment’, EarthTrends Environmental Information [online] http://earthtrends.wri.org [accessed 10 February 2009]. http://earthtrends.wri.org

WSP (2001) The Rope Pump: Private Sector Technology Transfer from Nicaragua to Ghana. WSP report 31426, UNDP Water and Sanitation Programme.

WSP (2004) Low Cost Pump Alternatives for Rural Communities in Honduras, WSP Field Note, UNDP Water and Sanitation Programme, Lima, Peru.

WSP (2008) ‘El Mercado de las Bombas de Mecate en Nicaragua’, WSP-LAC report [online] http://www.wsp.org/UserFiles/file/Estudio_de_Bombas_Final.pdf [accessed November 2008]. http://www.wsp.org/UserFiles/file/Estudio_de_Bombas_Final.pdf

Alberts, J.H. (2004) ‘The rope pump: An example of technology transfer’, Waterlines 22(3): 22-5.

Bombas de Mecate (1998) ‘Manual of experiences and tolerances in rope pump production’ [online] http://www.ropepump.com/ttp/ttp6-4.htm [accessed 19 February 2009]. http://www.ropepump.com/ttp/ttp6-4.htm

Bombas de Mecate (2002) Report on Follow-up and Fact-finding Mission, Technical Transfer Division report, Bombas de Mecate, Managua, Nicaragua.

FAO Statistics Division (2008) ‘PopSTAT, Annual Time series 2008’ [online] http:/faostat.fao.org/site/550/default.aspx [accessed 10 February 2009. http:/faostat.fao.org/site/550/default.aspx

Gorter, A. (1998) Childhood diarrhoea and its prevention in Nicaragua, doctoral thesis, Maastricht University, Netherlands.

Harvey, P. and Drouin, T. (2006) ‘The case for the rope-pump in Africa: A comparative performance analysis’, Journal of Water and Health 4(4).

Hughes, L.A. (2004) ‘Impacts of the rope and washer pump in a water and sanitation project, Rift Valley Province, Kenya’, MSc Thesis, Cranfield University Institute of Water and Environment.

Ideas at Work (2008) Customer Satisfaction and Technical Performance Survey of Rope Pump, Ideas at Work.

Lambert, R. and Faulkner, R. (1991) ‘Household pumps from the informal sector’. Proceedings of the 17th WEDC Conference, Nairobi, Kenya, 19-23 August 1991.

Sampson, M. (2008) Water quality assessment of hand-dug wells (Cambodia), Resource Development International, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Still, D.A., Nash, S.R. and MacCarthy, M.F. (2004) ‘South African experience with hand-augured shallow wells in coastal aquifers’, paper presented at the IWA/WAMDEC Conference, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, 28-30 July 2004.

Sutton, S. (2008) ‘The risk of a technology-based MDG indicator for rural water supply’, Proceedings of 33rd WEDC Conference, Accra, Ghana, 7-11 April 2008.

Tadesse, D., Desta, A., Geyid, A., Girma, W., Fisseha, S. and Schmoll, O. (2006) Rapid Assessment of Drinking-water Quality in the Federal Republic of Ethiopia. Country report, WHO/Federal Ministry of Health, EHNRI, UNICEF.

UNDP (2006) Human Development Report. Beyond Scarcity, UNDP, New York. UNICEF/WHO (2008) Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation Updates [online] http://documents.wssinfo.org [accessed 10 February 2009]. http://documents.wssinfo.org

United Nations Population Division (2008) ‘World Urbanization Prospects: The 2007 Revision’ [online] http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wup2007/2007wup.htm [accessed 10 February 2009]. http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wup2007/2007wup.htm

WaterAid (2004) Piloting the Rope Pump in Ghana [online] WaterAid briefing paper 2004, no. 1, available from: http://www.wateraid.org/documents/plugin_documents/pilotingtheropepump.pdf [accessed 10 February 2009]. http://www.wateraid.org/documents/plugin_documents/pilotingtheropepump.pdf

WHO & UNICEF (2005) Draft Guidelines for Drinking Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Related Household Questions, WHO/UNICEF/Joint Monitoring Programme.

World Resources Institute (2006) ‘Economics, Business and the Environment’, EarthTrends Environmental Information [online] http://earthtrends.wri.org [accessed 10 February 2009]. http://earthtrends.wri.org

WSP (2001) The Rope Pump: Private Sector Technology Transfer from Nicaragua to Ghana. WSP report 31426, UNDP Water and Sanitation Programme.

WSP (2004) Low Cost Pump Alternatives for Rural Communities in Honduras, WSP Field Note, UNDP Water and Sanitation Programme, Lima, Peru.

WSP (2008) ‘El Mercado de las Bombas de Mecate en Nicaragua’, WSP-LAC report [online] http://www.wsp.org/UserFiles/file/Estudio_de_Bombas_Final.pdf [accessed November 2008]. http://www.wsp.org/UserFiles/file/Estudio_de_Bombas_Final.pdf