By Freda Mwini, GNA
Wa, (UW/R), May 13, GNA – World Vision Ghana, a child-centered international organisation, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two districts in the Upper West Region towards promoting universal access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services in the region.
The MoU was signed between World Vision Ghana (WVG) and the Wa East and Wa West District Assemblies, aimed at fostering their effective collaboration in the implementation of WVG’s Universal Service Coverage (USC) programme.
The programme formed part of efforts to contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goal Six (SDG 6), which seeks to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030.
Speaking at a stakeholder engagement in Wa to sign the MoUs, Mr Joshua Baidoo, Strategy and Integrated Programme Director at World Vision Ghana, said WASH was not only about infrastructure but health, dignity and equity.
“Access to safe water, adequate sanitation and proper hygiene practices underpins human development and is fundamental to achieving broader goals such as poverty reduction, education outcomes and economic growth,”he stated.
Mr Baidoo stressed the need for innovative financing approaches, strong governance structures and collaboration between government agencies and development partners to address WASH challenges effectively.
Mr Robel Wamisho, Associate Director for WASH at World Vision Ghana, said the initiative sought to ensure that no community was left behind in access to safe water and sanitation services by 2030.
He explained that WVG’s WASH programme plan targeted about 700,000 people with safe water services nationwide, while improving sanitation and hygiene services in schools and healthcare facilities across its operational districts.
Mr Cephas Wedam, the Manager, Universal Service Coverage Programme at World Vision Ghana, indicated that the signing of the MOUs marked a significant milestone in the programme implementation.
He indicated that the programme targets 392 healthcare facilities with water, 72 with sanitation, and 205 with hygiene services within its five-year implementation period.
He said improved health facilities remain a priority for WVG in the USC implementation because every person, including children, depends on those facilities for health services.
He, therefore, called on all stakeholders to support the initiative to ensure that vulnerable communities and health facilities in the region have sustainable access to safe water and sanitation services.
Dr George Dery, a lecturer at the University of Business and Integrated Development Studies 9UBIDS0, who chaired the meeting, emphasised the urgent need to improve access to clean WASH services, particularly in vulnerable communities.
He noted that although some progress had been made in access to water in rural areas, many communities still relied on unwholesome water, posing serious health risks to them and commended WVG for the intervention in those districts.
Mr Shaibu Adamu, the Wa East District Chief Executive, expressed concerns about the poor maintenance culture of WASH facilities by communities, particularly in his district.
He, however, thanked the WVG for its commitment to improving the livelihoods of people in the district and assured the people of the Assembly’s support for the programme.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Benjamin Mensah
Photo caption: The stakeholders signing the MoU
13 May 2026