A rights-based review of the Ghanaian water and sanitation sector

This report reviews the existing legal, policy, and institutional framework of the Ghanaian water and sanitation sector using international human rights standards. The objective of the review is to determine the extent to which the framework guarantees the right to water and sanitation in accordance with Ghana’s international human rights obligations. The report lists the key aspects of the right to water and sanitation within the legal and policy framework: water availability and allocation, physical accessibility of water and sanitation, participation and access to information, non-discrimination and attention to vulnerable groups, water quality and hygiene, and the affordability of water and sanitation. Key areas requiring improvement to strengthen the right to water and sanitation mentioned in the report are: legislative recognition, defining the threshold level, rethinking the quality control approach, advancing accessibility, prioritising access to services by the vulnerable and marginalised, making affordability real, and regulating rates charged by secondary and tertiary services providers. The report ends with recommendations for concrete actions that need to be taken to fully recognise and strengthen the right to water and sanitation.