Water and sanitation (WASH) stakeholders in Ghana will today gather in Jirapa in the Upper West Region to reflect on Ghana’s WASH situation and how to improve the sector.
The four-day conference, organised by the Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS), is on the theme “Building Inclusive and Resilient Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Systems to Reach the Unserved.”
The conference would create the platform for policymakers, practitioners and researchers to give account on the state of Ghana’s WASH delivery systems – through the review of available evidence.
A statement issued by the Coalition said the conference would also interrogate the science and methods and explore the latest lessons and existing experiences, towards bridging the WASH service delivery gaps.
It said participants would discuss how the implementation of resilient WASH systems would address access and equity, and how current service delivery models will impact on Ghana’s pace towards achieving WASH for all.
“The overall objective of the conference is to review equity and inclusive approaches toward building resilient WASH services in the country. The focus of discussions will include systems, approaches, and models of resilient WASH service delivery”, it said.
Commenting on the event, the Executive Secretary of the Coalition, Basilia Nanbigne, said the recent flooding of several communities after the spillage of the Volta Dam had even enhanced the importance and urgency around the selected theme – Resilience systems.”
She said even though selection of the theme and planning for the conference began long before the flooding, the intensity of the incident had triggered the urgency to discuss how our water and sanitation systems should be developed with resilience as the bedrock.
“A resilient WASH system would, for instance, not raise too much panic and anxiety about the water that displaced people would drink, where they would defecate, and how they would access basic hygiene facilities in times like this. But most of the time, we plan with little or no assumption of a possible future emergency situation,” Ms Nanbigne said.
Consistent with the coalition’s mission of working in partnership with relevant stakeholders to influence policies, remove barriers and to promote access to safe WASH for the poor and vulnerable, this year’s event will set the agenda and commence a national dialogue aimed at holding Government and other duty-bearers to account on their commitments to WASH, and to change the narrative regarding the approach to the delivery of sustainable WASH services in Ghana.
BY TIMES REPORTER
