Since the 1980s a major change took place in public policies for water resources management. This interdisciplinary research examines how this water reform process unfolds within four African waterscapes that are historically constituted by natural and social processes. This study analyzes the interplay between public policies designed and implemented by government agencies and the institutions that govern access to and control over water resources among groups of agricultural water users. The findings of this research show that water policy in only a limited extent leads to progressive institutional change concerning agricultural water use.