Sanitation ministry launches new water policy

The Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources (MSWR) has launched an updated version of the existing National Water Policy (NWP) developed in 2007 to serve as a roadmap for managing the country’s water resources. 

The National Water Policy (revised 2024) is, therefore, a framework formulated to guide the sustainable use, management and planning of water resources for drinking and other domestic uses.

It also breaks down water management into focus areas such as food security, climate change, good governance, data and research, among others, and highlights their challenges and the attendant measures to solve them.

It is targeted at water users, water managers and practitioners, investors, decision makers and policy makers within central and local government structures, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and international development agencies.

The revised policy also recognises the various cross-sectoral opportunities and challenges related to water use and its links with other relevant sectoral policies such as those on sanitation, agriculture, transport and energy.

It was revised based on key issues emanating from the SDGs (2015-2030), Africa Agenda 2063, Coordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policies (CPESDP) (2021-2025) as well as the country’s commitment to international obligations and protocols, and to the broad guiding principles of water management.

The revised policy also rolls over strategies and actions from the 2007 NWP, particularly those that were not implemented, sustained or have not yielded the desired results.

Event

The policy was launched in Accra and brought together partners of the MSWR and Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) stakeholders who gave solidarity messages, and called for increased collaboration

They included the Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Water Resources Commission (WRC), the World Bank, UNICEF, IRC and the Small Water Enterprise Alliance. 

Universal access  

The Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Lydia Seyram Alhassan, noted that the policy recognised access to water as a ‘basic human right’ and a resource, which was critical for achieving equitable socio- economic development.

She then reiterated her outfit’s unwavering commitment to ensuring that everyone living in the country would have access to safe, sustainable and affordable drinking water, and entreated all to fiercely protect the nation’s water heritage for a sustainable future.

“This policy document represents the renewal of our commitment to sustainable utilisation of our water resources, equitable access to water supply and the protection and preservation of our water resources for the present and future generations, and I am glad that we could all make the time to be part of this memorable event,” Ms Alhassan added. 

Implementation

The sector minister  indicated that effective implementation of this policy would require a multi-dimensional  approach, emphasising the need for partnerships, collaboration and cross-sectorial efforts.

She said there would be therefore be stakeholder involvement in the implementation process to enhance strengthening of the enabling environment such as the legal and regulatory frameworks to ensure that the objective and desire of the policy document was attained.

“The implementation of the policy will require holistic water sector reforms to enable the attainment of the desired objectives of the Policy. Reforms will centre around institutional roles and responsibilities, regulation of water services providers such as self-supply, private water enterprises, tanker services, delineation of operational roles and areas for water utilities,” she said.