By Joyce Kantam Kolamong
Stakeholders in Ghana’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector have raised concerns about the country’s progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) on clean water and sanitation.
A WASH Specialist at Plan International Ghana, William Domapielle, has stated that while some progress has been made, significant challenges—especially in sanitation—persist. He made the remarks during a three-day media training workshop organised by Plan International Ghana for selected journalists in Tamale.
With only five years left to meet the 2030 deadline for SDG 6, Ghana’s progress remains uncertain due to an unstable donor landscape and external shocks. While water coverage has improved, sanitation remains a major challenge.
Civil society organisations and NGOs are working to promote the construction of household latrines and achieve open defecation-free (ODF) status in communities. However, the pace of progress remains slow, particularly in northern Ghana, where open defecation is widespread and sanitation facilities are limited.
Mr. Domapielle, who also serves as the Project Manager for the Integrated Package for Sustainable Community Development (IPADEV), called for sustained national commitment.
“Issues of open defecation is still rampant and the rate is going up. Organisations working in communities to improve household latrines construction are picking up but the number of communities that are outstanding that are yet to attain open defecation-free status are still more. NGOs have also learned to try to manage the number of communities we enter into otherwise we may end up not achieving any ODFs so we are doing it in small proportions. If we want to go into so many we may end going into a lot but we may end up not getting any ODFs. I think that we are doing it gradually but as to whether the gradual that we are making will help us get to where we want to get is the question. It will take more from the government if we must meet the target.”
The Northern Region lags behind the rest of the country in sanitation. According to available data, 25.3% of the region’s population lacks access to household toilets, and over 50% still practice open defecation.
Mr. Domapielle stressed the need for coordinated action from government and donor partners.
“Last year, the Presidential Compact on Wash was signed to inject some capital into the WASH space to ensure that we have household latrines constructed to meet our sanitation targets, especially. If these commitments by government are to be fulfilled, I think that we will be on the right track to meeting our targets. Otherwise, I’m not sure that just donors alone can support in this fight to get us there.”
The training workshop, held under the theme “Amplifying Community Voices: Storytelling with Integrity and Impact”, aimed to equip journalists with comprehensive knowledge of Plan International Ghana’s initiatives and encourage impactful reporting on development issues.
