By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
National Executives and some members of the Coalition of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS), led by its chairperson, Madam Beata Awinpoka Akanyani has held a strategic engagement with members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Sanitation and Water Resources to advocate for a significant increase in public funding for the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector.
The meeting, convened at Parliament House on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, served as a platform for civil society to push for legislative reforms and budget alignments necessary to meet Ghana’s national and international WASH targets and also to strengthen structured collaboration between civil society and Parliament to accelerate sustainable water and sanitation outcomes
Advocating for the $1.7 Billion Presidential Compact
Central to the discussions was the Ghana Presidential WASH Compact, signed in August 2024, which estimates a required annual investment of US$1.7 billion to achieve universal access by 2030.
CONIWAS urged the Committee to ensure that the 2026 national budget and subsequent allocations reflect this commitment, noting that current funding levels remain inadequate relative to the scale of the challenge.
“The journey we are on is built on the fundamental truth that without WASH services, sustainable development will remain an elusive dream,” the coalition reiterated, echoing sentiments from the Presidential Compact.
Key Demands and Sector Reforms
During the session, CONIWAS presented several priority areas for the Committee’s oversight:
· National Sanitation Authority: The coalition, through its National Chairperson, re-echoed calls for the immediate establishment of the National Sanitation Authority (NSA) and a dedicated National Sanitation Fund to streamline sector regulation and resource mobilization.
· District Funding: CONIWAS pledged to monitor the utilization of the 20% District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) earmarked for WASH to ensure these funds reach underserved communities.
· Legislative Action: Advocacy for a comprehensive Water Services Act to resolve overlapping mandates between agencies and strengthen sub-sector regulation.
· Sanitation Enforcement: Support for the government’s new sanitation enforcement regime, set for a 2026 rollout, which includes upgrading Environmental Health Units into full departments.
Addressing Sector Gaps
The Committee, chaired by Hon. John Oti Bless, also engaged with officials from the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) to discuss transitional arrangements for rapidly urbanizing towns.
Data shared during the engagement highlighted critical gaps:
· Water Access: While 87.7% of the population has basic water access; only about 42% utilize safely managed services.
· Sanitation Crisis: Approximately 17.7% of Ghanaians still practice open defecation, and only 25.3% have access to improved, non-shared sanitation facilities.
The Parliamentary Select Committee acknowledged the vital role of civil society and requested technical policy papers from CONIWAS to further inform legislative proposals aimed at improving WASH service delivery across the country.
