Background

Under the Resource Centre Development (RCD) prog sector KM scan conducted revealed that, i) generally capacity for KM in the Sector was weak, ii) there was little effort to institutionalise KM, iii) there was lack of awareness about importance of information and KM, iv) there was little research and lack of documentation meaning little information to share, v) commonest ways of KM sharing were through verbal channels (training, workshops, seminars, sector fora, etc.) vi) there was inadequate infrastructure (ICT, libraries, archives, etc.) and trained personnel for KM, vii) there was general lack of financial support for KM activities. These challenges are still relevant today to a very large extent. The situation led to the establishment of RCN as an initiative that aims at transforming the sector into a knowledge-driven arena capable of addressing the problem of access to information and knowledge in the sector.

The process of establishing RCN originally started back in October, 2002 with series of investigative studies which informed decisions on priority activities. The Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) in association with TREND Group, WaterAid (Ghana) and IRC organized an Advocacy workshop on May 12/13, 2004 in Accra on knowledge management. Subsequently, four key sector organizations namely, WaterAid Ghana; Water Research Institute; KNUST- Department of Civil Engineering and TREND Group joined hands to form the nucleus of the Resource Centre Network (RCN) to spearhead knowledge management in the water and sanitation sector in Ghana. The outcome of the Knowledge Management Advocacy Workshop was the establishment of a Task Force which brought together about a dozen key organisations in May 2004. The activities of the Task Force were led by the CWSA and the Group met regularly until December 2006. Overall the Task Force made positive gains in terms of advocacy aimed at raising awareness of knowledge management (KM). Key outputs of the group also included a Concept Paper for development of KM in the sector.

However, the activities of the Task Force slowed down considerably in 2006 due to lack of funding. In 2008, the inception of new projects in the sector with a focus on knowledge generation and dissemination (UNICEF/WHO Water and Sanitation Monitoring Programme (WSMP), the Tripartite Partnership Project (TPP) led by TREND, the WASHCost and SWITCH Projects which are led by KNUST, and the West Africa Regional Programme of IRC, which supports RCN, etc.) provided a new impetus for the revival of the RCN. A Secretariat was set up and a new National Knowledge Management Coordinator, appointed since June 2008 to oversee the activities of the Network and Secretariat. A core group of knowledge focused organizations was formed and revived and intensified knowledge management activities in the sector. The current Phase of the RCN is governed by a steering committee and is anchored in the Water Directorate of the Ministry of Water Resources Works and Housing.

Structure 

The organisational structure involves three key components: (I) The RCN Secretariat II) the Resource Centre Network and (III) the Steering Committee

The RCN Secretariat is staffed by a Coordinator who ensures the day-to-day administration and coordination of KM activities.

The Resource Centre Network (RCN) is a network of organisations and projects that generate and disseminate knowledge. They act as the operationa body for sector KM activities. Currently, the organisations and projects that constitute the RCN Core Group are, UNICEF/WHO Water and Sanitation Monitoring Platform (WSMP Ghana), the Tripartite Partnership (TPP) Project led by TREND, the WASHCost and SWITCH Projects which are led by KNUST, WaterAid Ghana, CONIWAS, CWSA, IWMI and IRC. Membership of the RCN is open to all sector organisations which have interest in KM.

The Steering Committee (SC brings together the RCN core group members, the sector ministries, key agencies, NGOs, networks and development partners. The SC advises on strategic issues and ensures that (i) knowledge generation activities really meet sector KM needs; (ii) that knowledge generated is readily disseminated and applied; (iii) there are adequate funds available for sector

The RCN secretariat provides the following products and services:

Learning platforms: The RCN organizes the monthly National Level Learning Alliance Platform (NLLAP) and periodically Regional Level Learning Alliance platforms (RLLAPs) where a wide range of stakeholders in the WASH sector meet to discuss topical issues in the sector for purposes of learning and policy influencing.

Sector newsletter: The RCN  coordinates the production and editing of a national sector newsletter, WASHNEWS

Sector website (www.washghana.org ): The RCN coordinates the update of the WASHGhana website. It also offers free publishing (on the website) of sector articles, reports and information on upcoming and / or past events and activities. The website, established and hosted by IRC is regularly updated by the Secretariat. The site has information on RCN and partners, a sector calendar, an overview of upcoming and past events; news and themes on community, rural and urban WASH, etc. There are also links to several other resource centre websites from across the globe. For publishing on the site please send your articles, reports and information to info@washghana.org and rcnghana@washghana.org .

Sector online library: The RCN has developed a Resource Centre (library). Key sector publications are available to sector stakeholders, institutions and agencies.

RCN offers information materials like the WASH Reflections (two page reports on NLLAPs)