UN Representative exchanging pleasantries with the President of Ghana following the signing of the WASH compact
The significance and future prospects of Ghana’s presidential compact through the lens of IRC Ghana Country Director, Vida Duti
Published on: 17/12/2024
Since I joined IRC in 2009, I have witnessed significant progress in various aspects of the water, sanitation, and hygiene sector in Ghana. However, there are still areas where progress has been slow.
When I first joined the sector, the discussions were mainly about systems that were not functioning well. Through the Sustainable Services at Scale (Triple-S) initiative and various assessments, we realised that for systems to be sustainable, it was not just about monitoring but also addressing multiple underlying factors. This led to discussions about system strengthening, including the need for appropriate policies, institutions, regulatory regimes, planning arrangements, and the ability to learn and adapt.
Institutionally, there have been significant developments. A Ministry for Sanitation and Water Resources was established in 2017 to coordinate and focus on interlinkages with other sectors. Efforts are being made to professionalise the delivery of small-town water systems, leading to an ongoing reform of the rural water sector since 2017, led by the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA).
On the policy front, the Ministry has reviewed and updated the national water policy in 2024 to align with the Sustainable Development Goals. The Ministry has also developed a water sector development programme up to 2030, providing a framework to achieve sector targets. The National Development Planning Commission has revised planning guidelines based on lessons from pilot projects, including the district-based approaches and master planning that IRC has been championing, to improve planning aspects for the next medium-term development planning cycle.
The National Development Planning Commission's Technical Report: SDGs Transformation and Commitments (2023) assessment highlighted the significant linkages and synergies between sanitation and other sectors, prompting the significance of a shift towards a circular economy in the country development strategy.
The Ghana WASH accounts fourth cycle (2020-2022) conducted by the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources and WHO reveals a significant gap to meet the national estimated funding requirement. Comparing WASH expenditure with the Ghana WASH Sector Development Programme (approximately 1.7 billion USD annually), the assessment recommends that the current expenditure is increased by about 500 million USD annually on average to meet the national target. With regards to who pays for WASH services and how much they pay, the assessment revealed that users remain the most significant contributors with close to 80% in the form of tariffs for user fees and costs of self-supply. Government contributes about 10% and donors about 12%.
Our past work has primarily focused on working with the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources and other allied sectors. However, we have realised that greater progress can be made by prioritising water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) at a political level and emphasising WASH and its connection with other sectors. This led to discussions within IRC about engaging at the ministerial or presidential level. When the idea was shared with the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, they were excited about the potential for faster progress with political support. The idea was also discussed with CONIWAS, the coalition of WASH NGOs in Ghana, who agreed that presidential commitment could provide valuable pointers for our engagement.
Continued engagement between the SWA Secretariat (who host the Heads of State Initiatives (HoSI) and support countries that aim to realise a presidential compact), HoSI partners (SWA, IRC, UNICEF, FCDO, Government of the Netherlands) and the Ministry led to bigger confidence that a presidential compact was indeed a realistic aspiration for Ghana. IRC Ghana, as we had presence in the country, was seen as a key strategic partner to support engagement with the Ministry and other stakeholders. I must say that this is not the first time Ghana is committing to a WASH compact. In 2010, Ghana signed a WASH Ministerial Compact which to a greater extent propelled the attainment of the MDGs for water in Ghana. However, elevating the commitment to the presidential level is a new milestone for Ghana that needs commendation.
During the UN Water Conference in March 2023, at a HoSI meeting chaired by King Willem Alexander of the Netherlands, Ghana was represented, and the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources and the government committed to developing a presidential compact on WASH.
A technical committee comprising the Ministry, the National Development Planning Commission, civil society organisations, IRC, and UNICEF started working on the presidential compact. With support from the SWA secretariat, including funding for a technical consultant, sector engagements were convened, and the compact was drafted. The Minister ensured that the compact was presented to the President, who approved and signed it in August 2024.
The Ghana Compact acknowledges WASH as a critical entry point for socio-economic development. The national SDG technical report has prioritised SDG target 6.2, alongside four other SDG targets: SDG target 16.6; SDG target 8.5; SDG target 4.1; and SDG target 7. 3. The technical report established 132 synergetic effects of investing in WASH on health, education, economic growth, environment, industrialisation, agriculture development, job creation, and poverty reduction. The government has adopted the circular economy as a key approach to addressing sanitation issues. Consequently, it has secured 2.4 billion USD to guide the country’s transition to a circular economy in the next ten years.
The compact is a bold financial commitment. In the compact, the government commits to mobilise resources to meet the financial requirement of 1.7 billion USD per annum to meet national targets required to achieve SDG 6 by 2030. This is tied to the projected annual financial requirements as defined in the National WASH Development Programme. This is expected to be mobilised from government, users, and development partners. If fulfilled, it would be a significant step to bridge the current expenditure gap of 500 million USD annually on average on top of current expenditure levels to meet the national target.
The compact aligns with national policies, programmes and projected financial requirements. It consolidates all national WASH-related policies, programmes and plans into a single document with presidential endorsement, aiming to align efforts and ensure implementation. Therefore, the implementation of the WASH Compact is expected to translate in increased funding for implementation of the existing national WASH policies, strategies, and programmes.
The compact recognises that the WASH agenda cannot be achieved by a single institution, identifying about eight sector institutions as collaborating entities - Office of the President, Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, National Development Planning Commission. The National Development Planning Commission has prepared a WASH sector coordination advice paper to guide intersectoral coordination efforts. This acknowledgement at the highest political level is key to operationalising national intersectoral coordination mechanisms with presidential oversight to maximise the synergetic effects and mitigate trade-off of investments in WASH to achieve greater impacts.
Since signing the compact in August 2024, Ghana has turned its focus to the national elections, held in December. A change in political leadership brings uncertainty in terms of continued commitment. Despite the challenges, including navigating political changes and ensuring continuity, there is hope that the compact will drive significant progress in achieving the SDGs in Ghana. The involvement of the UN, development partners, and civil society organisations will be crucial in maintaining momentum and securing the necessary resources.
Moving beyond the political regime and sustaining buy-in from government, development partners, and stakeholders are issues we need to address. IRC and other development partners and CSOs will support the Ministry with convening key stakeholders in 2025 to start working on moving the compact to the implementation phase. Furthermore, the Ministry plans to develop a country support package to define government commitments and encourage partner contributions. Working in concert with the other Heads of State Initiatives partners, IRC and the Ministry plan to map financing channels and develop a sector financing strategy to support these efforts.
High-level government is not oblivious to the issues of WASH or the benefits of investing in it. All 2024 election manifestos included promises on WASH. But we need to make the case repeatedly and engage continuously.
During the signing, the Minister introduced the team to the President, including the UN Resident Coordinator, the World Bank Country Director, the Ambassador from the Netherlands, the UK High Commissioner, the Chairperson of the Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation, and the SWA representative, IRC, and the technical team from the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources. Sitting in that room, I saw the pride with which the Minister did that, showing the significance of the support from the UN, the World Bank, and other development partners. It represented the power of collective effort. When we unite with a common voice, we can move the WASH agenda forward and get attention at a very high level.
We now have a presidential compact for WASH. From 2025, we need to focus our attention on implementing it. This is a significant milestone in our journey to provide universal water, sanitation and hygiene services to everyone in Ghana. I hope we can build on this as a driver to advance progress in the sector and make Ghana a shining star on the continent, leading the charge to position sustainable access to improved water, sanitation, and hygiene services to stimulate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and socio-economic development.
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The compact is a bold financial commitment. In the compact, the government commits to mobilise resources to meet the financial requirement of 1.7 billion USD per annum to meet national targets required to achieve SDG 6 by 2030
Vida Duti, Director, IRC Ghana
The compact recognises that the WASH agenda cannot be achieved by a single institution
Vida Duti, Director, IRC Ghana
