The second district-wide initiatives focused on building and strengthening local systems in the delivery of safe and sustainable Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services in Ghana was held on Tuesday.
Organised by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the Water and Sanitation sector IRC, Water4, Hunger Project and WaterAid, it created a forum for stakeholders in the WASH sector to advance better understanding of various district-focused approaches and how government and partners were performing their roles in supporting the provision of WASH services.
Wassa East District in the Western Region, Asutifi North District in the Ahafo Region and the Bongo East District in the Upper East Region, attended the forum.
The various assemblies presented their implementation plans for WASH projects, the progress of work and challenges they were facing in the execution of the initiatives.
Mr Yekini Ahmed Alhassan, Finance and Administration Manager, Access Development and Water4, said his outfit was partnering with the Wassa East District by building community managed point sources to a professionally managed market, adding that as at July this year, his outfit had provided quality drinking water to over 150 communities in the district.
Mrs Vida Duti, Country Director of IRC in her remarks, said the forum was aimed at generating recommendations for strengthening local systems for improved service delivery towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to WASH, and stressed that the district-wide approach was working together in an organised and coordinated manner to implement shared plans based on agreed principles and priorities within a particular geo-political space.
Mr George Cobbinah Yorke, Head of Policy Advocacy and Campaigns at WaterAid Ghana, in his submission stressed the need to invest in the WASH sector as it was paramount to achieving the SDGs.
BY ALLIA NOSHIE
