With Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson due to present the 2027 budget to Parliament this November, WaterAid Ghana is pressing the government to turn macroeconomic stability into spending on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), with a US$1.7 billion allocation.
The pitch is a business case. Writing in an opinion piece, Ibrahim Musah, WaterAid Ghana’s Head of Strategy, Policy and Campaigns, argues that every US$1 invested in WASH returns US$5-6. He says sanitation spending alone yields up to GHS4.30 for every GHS1, and that economic models project health and productivity savings of up to GHS67 billion by 2032.
The cost of doing nothing
The Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) estimates that poor sanitation costs Ghana GHS650 million a year through 31.9 million lost work and school days. Musah says that sum could fund 2,000 to 3,000 small community gari-processing hubs within a year, creating jobs in processing and trading and boosting food production. Open defecation stands at 17.7%, according to the Ghana Statistical Service (2021).
Funding gaps
The Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) requested GHS30 million in cash investment in the 2025 budget but received releases of no more than 30%, even as releases for goods and services topped 90% and emoluments exceeded 95%. Musah warns this shortfall could derail the government’s goal of water for all by 2030.
Ghana Water Limited, he adds, is battling aged pipes, obsolete equipment and water theft, with shortages from Tamale to Takoradi hurting businesses. He also wants modern turbidity-monitoring equipment for the Water Resources Commission, and a stronger fight against illegal mining (galamsey) to protect raw water sources.
Tying it to the new economy
Musah wants WASH included in the planned US$10 billion New Economy Programme, noting that tourism cannot grow without safe water at sites and a clean environment. The IMF has raised Ghana’s 2026 growth forecast from 4.6% to 5.7%, and he argues the gains of two years of stabilisation should now be reinvested.
He also calls for monitoring of the District Assembly Common Fund’s 10% water and 10% sanitation allocations across all 261 MMDAs.
“Stabilisation is not a destination but a price of entry,” Musah writes, arguing that WASH holds the key to Ghana’s next phase of growth.
