By Stanley Senya
Accra, Sept. 2, GNA – The Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS) has called on all stakeholders to commit to the achievements of the Sustainable Development Goal six for clean water and sanitation for all by 2030.
In a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, CONIWAS said Ghana’s pledge to a Presidential Compact on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) would help to elevate WASH initiatives as a top priority.
The compact seeks to provide strong leadership for optimal WASH outcomes in Ghana, strengthen institutions and partnerships for resilient WASH systems, overcome inertia to accelerate progress on SDG-6 and related SDGs and renew initiatives addressing climate change and environmental concerns.
The statement said the implementation of the compact would ensure that WASH services were accessible to every community, particularly those that were hard to reach, including schools and healthcare facilities.
However, the national vision for the water and sanitation sector is to provide “sustainable basic water and sanitation services for all by 2030.”
The statement said Ghana had undergone a series of reforms in the WASH sector to enhance access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services across the country.
Clear policies and various commitments have been established to prioritize WASH delivery.
In 2010, Ghana signed its first WASH Compact, aimed at bolstering the country’s efforts to achieve WASH and other development goals.
According to CONIWAS, Ghana has made notable strides in water provision, with 87.7 per cent of households having access to basic water services.
However, progress in sanitation access is considerably slower, with only 25.3 per cent of households enjoying basic sanitation facilities (PHC 2021).
There are significant disparities in access based on geographical regions and socio-economic factors. 18 per cent of Ghanaian still defecate in the open.
Furthermore, the current funding for the sector leaves a substantial gap that hinders the achievement of universal access.
The statement said with barely five years to 2030, Ghana needed to set ambitious targets, backed with adequate funding disbursements to reach the SDG 6.
An analysis by the NDPC indicates that SDG 6 is one of the most interconnected goals and crucial for achieving about 132 targets of the 169 targets across the other global goals.
It said Ghana’s commitment to a presidential compact on WASH is therefore timely, aiming to invest US$1.7 billion annually in water, sanitation, and hygiene initiatives until 2030.
It commits to establishing a National Sanitation Authority to assist the government in eliminating open defecation by 2030, specifically target hard-to-reach areas, and ensure the development of climate-resilient WASH infrastructure and services, among other objectives, to enhance universal access to WASH.
GNA