Global Water Initiative: Ghana

GWI Ghana's 2008 baseline study of water and sanitation provision in the Upper West Region showed that vulnerable populations had limited access to drinking water (approximately 50% coverage). There was low hygiene awareness among schools and communities, as well as low sanitation coverage and usage (more than 90% of local people were defecating in the open).

Project
Archived
,
2008 – 2017
Collection
Global Water Initiative – West Africa
The Global Water Initiative sought to improve global food security by enabling farmers to better access, manage and use water resources for sustainable agricultural production
Example of multiple use of a water source in the Black Volta basin at Bagri Zongo - Ghana

Integrated Water Resource Management and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (2008-12)

GWI West Africa work in Ghana began in 2008 and ended in 2012 under the first phase of GWI work on IWRM & WASH.

Starting point

When GWI Ghana began working in the Upper West Region, there was very little community participation in water resource management. The local government authorities lacked capacity to manage water resources effectively, and there was no platform for stakeholder engagement.

Conflict was common between different water users (ie settled agriculturalists and nomadic pastoralists). Our programme was therefore much-needed, and our intervention was timely.

Project achievements

  • Provided drinking water for more than 17,000 people
  • Facilitated sanitation access for more than 10,150 people
  • Drastically reduced the practice of open defecation (to less than 50% in project communities)
  • Established a hydrological profile for the upstream section of the Black Volta Basin in Ghana to guide water resources planning, programming and management, and
  • Partnered with state institutions for capacity building of staff of local government water authorities, communities, traditional authorities, and other local and international NGOs.

Project contacts

Attah Arhin (attaharhin@yahoo.com), project coordinator
Issifu Adama (isdam2000@yahoo.co.uk), IWRM
Peter Jayome Chamik (pjayom@yahoo.com), Community Development
Mohammed Ali Ibrahim (med381@gmail.com), Sanitation and Hygiene
John Nedjoh (jkned2000@yahoo.com), Learning