During the mid-1990s, it was estimated that of Ghana’s population of 17.5 million, more than two-thirds lived in rural areas, and only 35 percent of them had access to quality water. Even fewer had access to proper sanitation facilities. Water related diseases such as malaria, diarrhea, skin diseases and intestinal worms constituted four of the country’s top five reported illnesses.Â
In response, the government launched a new national community water and sanitation program in 1994. A core part of the strategy involved moving the responsibility for water management to local communities.Â
- IDA first supported the country’s program from 1994 to 2000 with a US$25 million credit.
- In 1999, IDA financed the Second Community Water and Sanitation Project, with the objective of increasing access to improved community water supply and sanitation services in villages and small towns in four regions—Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Upper East and Upper West Regions.
- The project used a large-scale decentralized model and provided grants to communities and schools through their District Assemblies to construct water supply and sanitation facilities.
The project provided 795,000 people—6 percent of the total rural population in Ghana—access to safe water supply and sanitation services.
Highlights:
- 2,014 communities are now using and managing water and sanitation facilities that they planned and helped build.
- 3,000 water and sanitation committees and 41 water boards were formed and trained in various aspects of community management of water and sanitation facilities.
- Latrine artisans, area mechanics and pump caretakers were trained in construction and operation and maintenance of their water and sanitation facilities.
- 42 districts (of 138) are actively implementing water and sanitation programs.
- A Community Water and Sanitation Agency manages the program at the national level. It supports small and medium enterprises and undertakes hygiene promotion, joining for example the global community in "Hand Washing Initiative" in 2001.
- US$25 million, 1999 to 2004.
- Strong relationship with sector agencies at all levels during the past 10 years.
- Assisted the government in developing a long-term, district-based community water and sanitation program that could serve as a common framework for other donor-assisted interventions.
- The project is part of a larger portfolio of Bank interventions in rural areas in Ghana, including support for education, health, decentralization and agriculture.
- The next phase of the project has been designed so that delivery of community point sources will be carried out under the IDA-financed multi-sectoral Community-Based Rural Development Project, while delivery of piped schemes in small towns will be maintained under the Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Project.
- Emphasis is needed on strengthening financial management systems and oversight mechanisms necessary to ensure quick turnaround of funds by the districts.
- Private sector capacity needs to be tailored to develop capacity of small and medium enterprises in the water sector to respond adequately to business opportunities emanating from local demand.
- For effective promotion of sanitation, the Bank has to aim at providing cheaper latrines (using for example local materials) and design sanitation interventions with an emphasis on sustained community-level marketing.
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