For many households in Ghana’s low-income and underserved settlements, access to clean water, reliable sanitation and safe waste management remains a daily struggle. As climate change intensifies droughts, floods and disease outbreaks, these vulnerabilities are deepening.
It is against this backdrop that Ghana’s ongoing revision of its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) has brought renewed focus to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services as essential tools for protecting public health and improving community resilience.
The Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources recently convened sector stakeholders to shape a WASH Sector Action Plan that will guide the country’s climate commitments up to 2035. The plan aims to ensure that WASH interventions respond directly to the lived realities of households, particularly those in informal settlements, flood-prone districts and peri-urban growth areas.
WASH as a Climate and Public Health Priority
Despite progress in expanding basic water systems, many communities continue to experience irregular supply, inadequate sanitation facilities, and challenges with safe solid waste disposal. Climate pressures including prolonged dry seasons, heavy rains and coastal saltwater intrusion are making these gaps more severe. Women and children are especially affected, often carrying the burden of securing water and managing household sanitation under worsening conditions.
Local Realities Must Drive Solutions
Participants at the workshop highlighted that climate-resilient WASH planning must reflect community-level challenges, such as:
• Water points drying up during peak heat periods
• Flooding contaminating drinking water sources
• Crowded urban communities lacking toilet facilities
• Poor waste management contributing to cholera and sanitation-related diseases
Stakeholders emphasized that local participation and district-level decision-making must be central to designing and monitoring solutions.
Financing and Accountability Remain Key Challenges
Persistent funding gaps, fragmented institutional mandates and inconsistent service delivery continue to hinder progress in the WASH sector. The new action plan seeks to:
• Mobilize climate finance linked to measurable WASH outcomes
• Improve coordination between government agencies and partners
• Strengthen capacity of district assemblies to deliver sustainable services
• Enhance transparency and accountability in expenditure and results
The plan will form part of Ghana’s updated climate priorities under the revised NDCs (NDCs 3.0), which are expected to guide resilience investments to 2035.
Next Steps
The workshop recommendations are undergoing technical review ahead of inclusion in the national climate framework. Once finalized, the WASH Sector Action Plan will guide collaboration among government, utilities, civil society organisations and local communities.
“Strengthening Ghana’s climate response requires cross-sector collaboration and evidence-based planning. This workshop has provided us with an opportunity to define sectoral priorities and identify practical pathways for integrating climate action into WASH,” said Mohammed Gyimah, Deputy Director at the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology. “The outcomes will not only inform the revision of our NDCs but also guide long-term strategies for resilience and sustainable development.”
The overarching goal is to ensure that clean water, safe sanitation and efficient waste management are not treated as optional social services, but as central pillars of climate adaptation and dignity for households most at risk.
