Universal water service delivery: Insights on what it takes from Ghana

Abstract

Attainment of the government of Ghana's ambitious target of providing safe and reliable basic water services to all persons in Ghana by 2025 requires urgent need to unravel localized barriers to achieve universal access and sustain it. Using the Life Cycle Cost Approach, this paper provides a framework in policy planning and estimates the quantum of funds that needs to be injected into construction, operation, and maintenance of water facilities in order to achieve full water coverage in a district. Using participatory approaches, data were collected from Bongo, East Gonja, and Wa districts of Ghana. Data collection was facilitated by Community Water and Sanitation Agency employing the Resources, Infrastructure, Demand, and Access Strategic Planning Tool. Results show that the total cost of achieving full coverage is estimated at US$ 10,342,190, US$ 15,828,421, and US$ 10,111,616 for Bongo, East Gonja, and Wa East, respectively, in the implementation of water coverage and sustainability activities spanning 2017-2025. We suggest that sustainable water services for all requires more than capital inflows.Strong leadership commitment, bolstered institutions, improved monitoring, and evaluation as well as adequate human resources are critical to ensuring that capital investments translate into effective service delivery.

Impact of Key Players in Providing Sustainable Water Services in Busega District, Tanzania

“…The framework was adopted to allow the implementation of Triple-S focused on creating the best service delivery approach to local beneficiaries. Triple-S seeks to meet coverage targets and recurrent expenditures to sustain water deliveries to rural communities (Kumasi, Nyarko, & Antwi-Agyei, 2022). Triple-S is adopted in this article to explain water supply key players/actors' management and administration of their structures by determining how rural women could afford to utilize their services at scale.…”