ABSTRACT This article examines the factors that facilitate or hinder credible commitment in large dam investment cooperation in sub-Saharan Africa, which even with an abundance of untapped hydropower potential has a shortfall of electricity generation and supply. Research finds an uneven pattern of large dam development on the continent, indicating the lack of traditional investment to promote energy security. Investment for hydropower development requires cooperation between several stakeholders, and its success depends on the credible commitment by a host government. Drawing on a comparative study of the Cahora Bassa Dam and the Inga III Project, this article examines why the latter yielded a failed outcome. The study finds that factors such as regime insecurity and uncertainty, regime type and the institutions, context and interest of actors, as well as market and market proximity can incentivise and equally hinder a host government’s ability to credibly commit to large dam investment cooperation.

中文翻译：

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撒哈拉以南非洲的可信承诺和大型水坝开发

摘要 本文探讨了促进或阻碍撒哈拉以南非洲大型水坝投资合作可信承诺的因素，尽管该地区拥有大量未开发的水电潜力，但发电和供应不足。研究发现，非洲大陆大型水坝开发模式不均衡，表明缺乏促进能源安全的传统投资。水电开发投资需要多个利益相关者之间的合作，其成功取决于所在国政府的可信承诺。通过对 Cahora Bassa 大坝和 Inga III 项目的比较研究，本文探讨了为什么后者会产生失败的结果。研究发现，政权不安全和不确定性、政权类型和行为者的制度、背景和利益等因素，