GHANA- Situational analysis on CLTS/SLTS/ULTS
Contents
1. Ghana Fact overview 2
2. Sanitation overview 2
3. Pan Africa CLTS programmein Ghana 3
4.Institutional mapping 4
5. Already existing platforms(networks, LAs) 4
6. Background information- Ghana 7
Annex 1: Reference review 17
Annex 2: Case studies 18
1. Ghana Fact overview
· Population: 24,000,000 pop in 2010 (Gov of Ghana). 46% urban; 54% rural
· GDP/capita PPP: 1,600$US in 2010 (IMF)
· Main economic activities: Agriculture (37% of total economic activity), Oil, Cocoa, Timber, Electricity, Diamond, Bauxite and Manganese
· Major cultural groups: Ashanti, Fante, Akyem, Kwahu, Ga, Ewe, Mamprusi and Dagomba, among others
· Religions: Christian, animist
· Political regime: Presidential republic
· Geographical context: Tropical climate, 4 geographical regions (Low plains, Ashanti Uplands, Volta Bassin, High plains)
2. Sanitation overview
· Figures
Rural sanitation (broad definition) 11%
Urban sanitation 27%
Ghana aims at achieving 85% coverage for water supply and sanitation by 2015, which would exceed the Millennium Development Goals' target of 78%
· Responsible authorityfor sanitation
Urban areas: Ghana Water Company Ltd and other private agencies
Rural areas: The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development shares responsibility for setting sanitation policies and coordinating funding for the subsector with MWRWH.
The Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) is an independent agency coordinating efforts with district authorities
· Policies/strategies in place
National Water Policy (NWP) in 2008, which focuses on the three strategic areas: (i) water resources management; (ii) urban water supply; and (iii) community water and sanitation.
National Community Water and Sanitation Programme (NCWSP) in rural areas, which is carried out directly by the communities and their District Assemblies. The NCWSP focuses on three main objectives in order to achieve health improvements: safe water supply, hygiene education, and improved sanitation.
· Challenges in country
In communities with fewer than 50,000 inhabitants, water supply systems are owned and managed by the respective community on a demand-driven basis. According to the NCWSP, these systems do not receive any cross-subsidies and 5% of the cost of providing the facility is paid by the operating community. Therefore, the rural communities and small towns form gender-balanced voluntary groups which are represented by elected water and sanitation boards, including one or two village-based caretakers who received special training in repair and maintenance. Communities and the CWSA are enabled to contract external actors, such as private sector consultants or NGOs, to provide technical assistance, goods, or services. Local artisans are used to provide household latrines.
· Major ongoing programmes/initiatives
· History of CLTS in Ghana
The Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), Plan, UNICEF and WaterAid have been piloting CLTS since 2007 in approximately 237 communities in Ghana in an attempt to scale up hygiene and sanitation improvements. The pilot activities were in the Northern, Upper West, Eastern, Central and Greater Accra Regions. In addition, a case study of Oboyambo community in Central region of Ghana on children’s involvement in community-led total sanitation was conducted by ?
3. Pan Africa CLTS programmein Ghana
· Target population
20, 000 people from 50 communities and 25 schools; in the Upper West Region, Central Region, Volta Region and Eastern Region (Districts of Sissala West, Wa municipal, Agona East, Abura Assebu Kwamankese, and South Tongu Upper Manya Krobo)
· Specific objectives/country:
Overall objective:
Within five years, the overall objective of the project is to reduce sanitation related illnesses, improve knowledge and skills and enhance sanitation services for 50 rural communities in Ghana
Specific objectives:
1. Terminate indiscriminate defecation in 200 project communities in 5 districts in Ghana by facilitating the implementation of CLTS
2. Promote proper waste management through facilitating community led sanitation action and management systems for200 rural communities
3. Promote proper hygiene in project communities through education, sensitization and awareness district workshops for the beneficiary communities
4. Improve the health, living standards and long-term viability of the beneficiary rural communities by providing reliable, convenient access to clean water
5. Build capacity and networks in strengthening CLTS/SLTS in the six program areas.
· Progress (in 2010):
1. 45 communities and 20 schools have been triggered successfully include one (1) peri-urban community in the Northern sector
2. Networks and collaboration with various national and international
· Challenges (in 2010):
1. Plan Ghana old approach was based on subsidy
2. Taboo days in some communities coinciding with market days in the area- this affects mobilization
3. Competing for community time and interest
4. Promotion of subside by some NGOs in some of the project communities and neighbouring communities
4.Institutional mapping
· Government agencies
Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development
Water Directorate of the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing
CWSA
· Major donors
· Majors INGOs
WaterAid Ghana,
Plan Ghana,
· Major local NGOs
· Other relevant actor
District Water and Sanitation Teams (DWST) at the district level, consisting of an engineer, a hygiene expert, and a community mobilizer.
5. Already existing platforms(networks, LAs)
RCN Ghana
Level: national
Frequency of meeting, location (if constant)
Actors involved, leaders: TREND, WaterAid Ghana, KUNST, Water Research Institute. Supported by IRC
Contact organisation/person: http://www.ghana.watsan.net
List of ongoing topics
WASH learning alliance –Same as RCN?
Level: national
Frequency of meeting, location (if constant)
Actors involved, leaders
Contact organisation/person
List of ongoing topics/issues discussed
National CLTS task force:
Level: National
Frequency of meeting, location (if constant)
Actors involved, leaders
Contact organisation/person
List of ongoing topics/issues
CONIWAS:
The Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS), created in 2001, "works in partnership with sector players to influence policies, remove barriers and promote access to potable water, sanitation and improved hygiene for the poor and vulnerable." According to the coalition, giving NGOs one voice for advocacy and lobbying has been one of its major benefits.
Level: National
Frequency of meeting, location (if constant)
Actors involved, leaders
Contact organisation/person
List of ongoing topics/issues
Water Directorate: Not a platform
Level: National
Frequency of meeting, location (if constant)
Actors involved, leaders
Contact organisation/person
List of ongoing topics/issues
WASH journalist: is it a platform? Network?
Level:
Frequency of meeting, location (if constant)
Actors involved, leaders
Contact organisation/person
List of ongoing topics/issues
Local District water and Sanitation team: is it a platform? Network?
Level: District
Frequency of meeting, location (if constant)
Actors involved, leaders
Contact organisation/person
List of ongoing topics/issues
District SHEP: is it a platform? Network?
Level: District
Frequency of meeting, location (if constant)
Actors involved, leaders
Contact organisation/person
List of ongoing topics/issues
6. Background information- Ghana
1. Introduction
The Republic of Ghana is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. The word Ghana means "Warrior King" and is derived from the ancient Ghana Empire.
Ghana was inhabited in pre-colonial times by a number of ancient predominantly Akan Kingdoms, including the Akwamu on the eastern coast, the inland Ashanti Empire and various Fante and non-Akan states, like the Ga and Ewe, along the coast and inland. Trade with European states flourished after contact with the Portuguese in the 15th century, and the British established the Gold Coast Crown colony in 1874.
The Gold Coast achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1957, becoming the first sub-Saharan African nation to do so[7][8][9] and the name Ghana was chosen for the new nation to reflect the ancient Empire of Ghana, which once extended throughout much of west Africa. Ghana is a member of the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Economic Community of West African States, the African Union, and an associate Member of La Francophonie. Ghana is the second largest producer of cocoa in the world and is also home to Lake Volta, the largest artificial lake in the world by surface area.
2. Water and sanitation sector
The water supply and sanitation sector in Ghana faces severe problems, partly due to a neglect of the sector until the 1990s. Tariffs were kept at a low level which was far from reflecting the real cost of the service. Economic efficiency still remains below the regional average, resulting in a lack of financial resources to maintain and extend the infrastructure. Since 1994, the sector has been gradually modernized through the creation of an autonomous regulatory agency, introduction of private sector participation, and decentralization of the rural supply to 138 districts, where user participation is encouraged. The reforms aim at increasing cost recovery and a modernization of the urban utility Ghana Water Company Ltd. (GWCL), as well as of rural water supply systems.
Another problem which partly arose from the recent reforms is the existence of a multitude of institutions with overlapping responsibilities. The National Water Policy (NWP), launched at the beginning of 2008, seeks to introduce a comprehensive sector policy.
The water supply and sanitation infrastructure is insufficient, especially in rural areas and concerning sanitation. There are substantial discrepancies between access data from various sources, partially because of different definitions being used by different institutions that are providing access data. According to the Joint Monitoring Program for Water Supply and Sanitation of UNICEF and WHO access is as follows:
Urban(46% of the population) / Rural
(54% of the population) / Total
Water / Broad definition / 88% / 64% / 75%
House connections / 37% / 4% / 19%
Sanitation[1] / Broad definition / 27% / 11% / 18%
Sewerage / 13% / 2% / 7%
However, according to the multi-donor Africa MDG assessment access to an improved water sources is much lower (56%) and access to improved sanitation is higher (35%).
The share of non-functional supply systems in Ghana is estimated at almost one third, with many others operating substantially below designed capacity. Moreover, domestic water supply competes with a rising demand for water by the expanding industry and agriculture sectors. Ghana aims at achieving 85% coverage for water supply and sanitation by 2015, which would exceed the Millennium Development Goals' target of 78%.
3. History on water and sanitation
In 1928, the first piped water supply system was constructed at Cape Coast. The Water Supply Division of the Public Works Department was responsible for the service provision in rural and urban areas of Ghana. After Ghana's independence in 1957, the division was separated from the Public Works Department and placed under the Ministry of Works and Housing. In 1965, it was transformed into the Ghana Water and Sewerage Corporation (GWSC), a legal public utility responsible for the provision of urban and rural water supply for public, domestic, and industrial purposes as well as the establishment, operation, and control of sewerage systems.
Since 1993, various reforms have been introduced to address the problems of the sector. The key objectives of the reforms were to separate rural and urban service, to introduce independent regulatory agencies, and to promote private sector participation.
In order to pay more attention to water supply and sanitation in rural areas, the Community Water and Sanitation Division was founded as a semi-autonomous division of GWSC in 1994. Four years later, it changed its name to the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) and became fully independent. In 1999, the GWSC was replaced by the publicly owned GWCL. At the same time, the responsibility for rural water supply and sanitation was decentralized to the District Assemblies. In addition, sanitation was separated from water supply and became a responsibility of the District Assemblies in urban and rural areas.
As a result, the GWCL remained responsible only for urban water supply, whereas more than 110 small towns' water systems were transferred to District Assemblies, which receive support from the CWSA. In terms of sanitation, District Assemblies are responsible in urban and rural areas. In the latter case, a demand-driven and community-managed approach was introduced.
The regulation of water supply has been shifted from the government to independent agencies. Two commissions were created in 1997 to regulate the sector: The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has been developed to formulate and approve appropriate pricing mechanisms aimed at full cost recovery, since the government began to phase out the subsidization of water services in 2003. The PURC has no authority over community-managed water systems and only regulates GWCL services. Besides the provision of tariff guidelines and the examination and approval of tariffs, it protects the interests of consumers and providers, promotes fair competition, and initiates, conducts, and monitors standards concerning the provided service.
Whereas the PURC takes responsibility for economic regulation of urban water supply and sanitation, the Water Resources Commission (WRC) regulates water resources: it is in charge of licensing water abstraction and wastewater discharges.
3.1. 21st century
To carry out the private sector participation of GWCL, originally a 10-year lease contract was envisaged . In 2000, a lease contract between GWCL and the US company Azurix failed due to public opposition and accusations of corruption which led to the formation of the Coalition against Water Privatization.
In October 2006, under the framework of the Urban Water Project (see below) a five-year management contract was signed between the GWCL and AVRL. The main objectives of this private sector participation are:
· Extending reliable water supply especially to low-income areas
· Making potable water affordable for low-income consumers
· Increasing cost recovery
· Ensuring investments based on low-cost and concession financing
· Supporting further involvement of the private sector
· Reducing non-revenue water
· Increasing water treatment
The project is financed by the World Bank, the Nordic Development Fund and the Republic of Ghana (see below).
In March 2008, severe water shortages in Accra were reported, leading Boniface Abubakar Saddique, the Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, to review whether AVRL is working in compliance with the management contract. However, he explained that the reason for the shortages was unforeseen power outages at two water treatment plants in Weija and Kpong. Saddique stated that the overall situation will improve notably by the end of 2008 due to several new boreholes and a more stable power supply.