The Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources (MSWR), Mrs. Cecilia Abena Daapah, has revealed that even though 96.4% of Ghanaians have access to basic water services in urban areas, segments of the population within the lower-income groups still lack access to basic water services.
This, she said, was made known by the Ghana Statistical Service Population and Housing Census 2021, adding that the government, through the ministry, is still making great efforts to make WASH services accessible to all.
Mrs. Daapah said one such effort is supporting Ghana Water Limited to create a Low-Income Consumer Support Department (LICSD) aimed at addressing the water needs of low-income customers in urban and peri-urban areas and ensuring equity in water service delivery in the urban water space.
The minister made this during the launch of the Urban Resilience by Building and Applying New Evidence in WASH (URBAN-WASH) project supported by USAID.
According to her, the five-year USAID research and learning activity project spanning from 2021–2026 is to generate evidence through applied research to promote sustainable, equitable, and climate-resilient WASH and Water Resources Management policies and programming in urban and peri-urban areas.
She said the primary goal of the URBAN WASH project is to address knowledge gaps among service providers and government institutions in USAID priority countries, including Ghana, and to strengthen the evidence base for decision-making.
The Initiative will generate evidence that will provide reliable information to enhance effective decision-making. Ghana is fortunate to be one of the countries selected for this project.
The minister said aside from what the ministry and its agencies are undertaking, other partners are also implementing pro-poor subsidy programs, and therefore the USAID project will acknowledge which of the programs are scalable, financially sustainable, and can effectively reach the most vulnerable.
“It will also be useful to build on studies which have already been done in Ghana around equity and inclusion in WASH.”
“We are happy the MoU has already been signed between Aquaya Institute (the lead researchers) and Ghana Water Limited to conduct this Research. I wish to add that, my ministry will provide the necessary support to see to it that the research achieves its objectives.”
Speaking at the launch, the Acting Health Office Director for the USAID URBAN WASH project, Ms. Heather Robinson, said the USAID-supported project called WASH will support the government of Ghana to address critical knowledge gaps around urban and peri-urban water service delivery.
Ms. Robinson said that by 2050, 70% of Ghanaians are expected to live in urban areas like Accra, Kumasi, and Tamale. Unfortunately, for example, in the Greater Accra Region, less than 30% of households in low-income areas have access to piped water.
Since 2009, USAID has been working with the Ghanaian government to help all Ghanaians access safe drinking water, proper sanitation, and good hygiene practices.
“We understand that water security is crucial for health, prosperity, stability, and resilience. Without proper planning for these services, rapid urbanization makes it difficult for water companies to provide safe and reliable water to everyone, particularly the poorest,” she stated.
She said the collaboration between the Urban WASH project and the government of Ghana will strengthen its partnership with local organizations to conduct operations research that will provide the needed evidence and data to inform and shape policies and interventions to improve water, sanitation, and hygiene services in low-income communities.
On his part, the Managing Director of Ghana Water Limited, Ing. Dr. Clifford Braimah, said the MoU between Ghana Water Limited and USAID’s Urban Resilience by Building and Applying New Evidence in WASH (URBAN WASH) project was signed in March 2023 to cooperate and coordinate on implementation research in Accra, Kumasi, and Tamale.
Ing. Dr. Braimah said the MOU commits Ghana Water Limited to partnership in three key areas, such as water quality management, water equity, and non-revenue water, to leverage research, evidence, and shared knowledge, which has the potential to transform the WASH landscape in Ghana and beyond.
He said the MoU with Urban Water has produced the Accra Subsidy Study, which will examine the efficacy of our subsidized water connections in Accra, providing insights for similar initiatives across the region, and the Ghana Buy-In, focusing on Tamale and Kumasi, seeks to improve water quality, equity, and non-revenue water management.
“Both initiatives underline our commitment to fact-based decision-making, vital to improving the national urban water sector.”
“As the Managing Director of GWCL, I pledge my full support and dedication to this partnership. I assure you that our team will spare no effort in delivering on our commitments and achieving the desired outcomes.