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
WASH Reflection 95 - Citywide Inclusive Planning and Collective Action for Sustainable WASH Services Delivery: The Case of Greater Tamale.
Stakeholders at the 95 edition of the National Level Learning Alliance Platform (NLLAP) discussed and agreed that systematic and inclusive city-wide planning is one of the surest ways to improve the fortunes of sanitation delivery in Ghana; and that this can be achieved by dealing with the hydra-headed funding, weak co-ordination, poor planning and poor behaviors and attitudinal challenges that bedevil the sanitation sub-sector in Ghana. The Catholic Relief Services (CRS), together with Tamale Metropolitan and Sagnerigu Municipal Assemblies, and partners developed citywide sanitation plans to guide planning and implementation by all sector players to achieve safely managed sanitation in the Greater Tamale Area.
12 Mar 2023
WASH Reflection 96 - Leveraging partnerships for a professionalized public utility in Ghana
At the Mole XXXIII in Elmina Beach Resort, IRC Ghana and partners - Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), Safe Water Network (SWN) and Water and Sanitation for Urban Poor (WSUP) on the Rural Water Utilization Project (RWUP) project organized a side event to share the project framework, facilitate discussions, share experiences, and elicit stakeholder input to provide insights for the project implementation. The side event took place on 2 November 2022 under the theme leveraging partnerships for a professionalized public utility in Ghana.
12 Dec 2022
WASH Reflection 94 - Stakeholders hail 2021 Population and Housing Census Data on WASH
With less than 10 years to the sustainable development goals agenda, the need to generate and promote the use of credible homegrown WASH data remains on the minds of the water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector stakeholders. This came to light at the end of the Regional Learning Alliance Platform (RLLAP) in Kumasi. Participants agreed on the need to harmonise WASH data and to establish a joint working group (Ghana Statistical Service & Sanitation stakeholders) to promote the generation of WASH evidence- based data for use. Participants also agreed on the need to support the Ministry to develop hygiene indicators to aid the Ghana Statistical Service to collect comprehensive home-grown hygiene data.
12 Jul 2022
WASH Reflection 93 - Addressing the sanitation service chain in Ghana: Bio-digester toilet system
14 Apr 2022
WASH Reflection 92 - Climate Change and Water Security Solutions in Ghana
Participants at the 92 edition of the National Level Learning Alliance (NLLAP) meeting engaged in lively deliberations, provoked by WaterAid Ghana research findings on Climate Change and Water Security. Key among these was the impact of climate change in the focused districts - seasonal changes in water table, unpredictable and erratic rainfall pattern, high temperatures during the peak of the dry season, and frequent drought and floods. Participants, at the end agreed that the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector has to be intentional in implementing a sustained national agenda to address the negative impact of climate change on water bodies and water resources to save Ghana from becoming water stress in the near future.
12 Feb 2022
WASH Reflection 91 - Fourth National Learning Exchange On District-wide Initiative
Participants at the fourth National Learning Exchange on District-Wide Initiative agreed to review, adapt, and adopt some of the innovative approaches implemented over the recent past years and share outcomes and actions that can be replicated and scaled-up towards the delivery of the WASH Sustainable Development Goal Six (SDG 6).
12 Oct 2021
WASH Reflection 75 - District-focused Initiatives for full WASH coverage – an emerging development approach for universal access
Two local authorities - the Asutifi North and Bongo District Assemblies have called for district-wide approaches to bring full WASH coverage to districts. Through this approach, according to the local authorities, all partners and collaborators will support one district plan and one district at a time. Ensuring universal access to safe and affordable drinking water and sanitation for all by 2030, according to the forum conveners – IRC and WaterAid Ghana (WAG), requires collective effort, the finance and cooperation to deliver the targets. This reflection paper presents some of the learning points shared at the 76th edition of the National Level Learning Alliances Platform (NLLAP 76) in Accra on 12 December 2018.
13 Dec 2018
WASH Reflection 74 - WSUP PASS Project Provides Clear Pathway for Urban Sanitation Delivery in Ghana
13 Nov 2018