WASH Reflections 57 - Recognize WASH as a Climate Adaptation Strategy — WASH Actors in Ghana Advises

Inadequate knowledge or lack of it on climate change issues and how it affects the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector among Ghanaians has been identified as one of the major inhibiting factors militating against the country's effort at combating climate change in Ghana. Policy makers and the majority of actors in the WASH sector either lack adequate knowledge of climate change issues or how it impact on WASH or generally does not have interest on climate change. That according to actors in the WASH sector account for the haphazard implementation of climate changes strategies and low understanding of the climate change among the populace and therefore called on policy implementers, civil society and all WASH sectors actors to intensify their learning and sensetisation activities on WASH based climate adaptation strategies in the Ghana. They also called for WASH to be recognized as climate change adaptation strategy. These were among a myriad of sentiments echoed by WASH sector actors at the fifty-eighth (58) edition of the National Level Learning Alliance Platform in Accra.

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WASH REFLECTIONS 106

Access to safe drinking water is recognized by the Government of Ghana as a fundamental human right and a critical public health necessity. While substantial progress has been made in urban and peri-urban areas—thanks to government initiatives and private sector participation—many last-mile communities remain severely underserved. These communities are typically small, remote, and low-income, making water service delivery both challenging and costly.

09 Apr 2025

WASH REFLECTIONS 100 - State of Water Services in the Western Region and Progress of the Rural Water 'Utilitisation' Project

On 26th March 2024, IRC Ghana, in collaboration with the Rural Water Utilitisation Project (R-WUP) partners, hosted a dissemination and progress update meeting on the National Level Learning Alliance Platform (NLLAP) with over sixty-five stakeholders drawn from government, development partners, civil society organisations, local and international NGOs, academia, and the media participating.

27 Mar 2024

WASH Reflection 98 - State of Water Services in Western Region of Ghana

Availability and sustainable management of Water and Sanitation for all is the vision of Sustainable Development Goal six, but millions of people still lack access to safe water globally. In Ghana, 87.7% of the population has access to basic water services according to the Ghana Population and Housing Census 2021 report. The deadline set by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) is seven years away. To achieve SDG six, it is imperative to have evidence-based data to aid in effective decision-making and resource allocation to tackle inequalities in access to safe water.

14 Sep 2023

WASH Reflection 99 - State of WASH Services in Health Care Facilities in Wassa-East and Asutifi North Districts

We have a once-life time opportunity to make access to WASH available to everyone, everywhere for good. Making safe WASH available and functional in health care facilities is not just an output, but an outcome that improves public health and a critical live-saving endeavor. What matters most is that health care facilities have safe WASH that caters adequately for patients to use at all times in the health care facility, but most importantly for doctors, nurses and other paramedics and other staff to use as well. In a health care facility setting, hand hygiene is critical to reducing the transmission of infectious diseases and is fundamental to a resilient health system. Despite being such an important preventative health measure, it suffers from chronic underprioritization and insufficient investments by government and development partners.

14 Sep 2023