President Akufo-Addo signs $1.7 billion water and sanitation sector agreement
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has signed a Presidential Compact on Water and Sanitation, as part of the government’s commitment to improving public health, increasing climate resilience and ensuring that hard to reach communities have access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services.
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Under the agreement, which was signed on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, the government will allocate an estimated $1.7 billion annually to WASH initiatives until 2030 under the Sustainable Development Goal Six (SDG 6).
The funds will ensure that WASH services reach schools and healthcare facilities, as well as remote communities.
The compact will also establish a National Sanitation Authority which will support the government’s efforts to eliminate open defaecation by 2030 as entailed in SDG 6.2.
Furthermore, Ghana’s national climate strategy will now include building climate-resilient water and sanitation infrastructure and services.
This will ensure that the country is ready to address the challenges posed by increasing droughts and floods.
The Compact is the result of an extensive consultation process with government agencies, development partners, the academic community, and local civil society organisations.
It comes just one year after it was announced as a commitment at the United Nations (UN) 2023 Water Conference and Ghana agreed to sign.
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The agreement, which falls under the Heads of State Initiatives, is supported, by the Government of the Netherlands, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UNICEF, the Sanitation and Water for All partnership and IRC WASH.
These partners will serve in an advisory capacity for the Compact’s implementation, providing technical expertise and coordinated advocacy.
President Akufo-Addo iterated the significance of the compact by stating that sustainable development across sectors would remain unachievable without WASH services.
“The journey on which we are embarking is built on the fundamental truth that without WASH services, sustainable development will remain an elusive dream,” he said.
“This Compact represents not the start, but the continuation and amplification of our efforts; a decisive step to ensure that every citizen, irrespective of their location or circumstance, enjoys sustainable access to these vital services,” the President added.
The Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Lydia Seyram Alhassan stated that the signing of the agreement demonstrated how serious Ghana as a country takes issues concerning WASH.
