1. Current Status of HWTS in Ghana
Presentation by:
Naa Lenason Demedeme
Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development
Ghana
6th May, 2013.

2. Ghana
• 24.97 million population
occupying an area of
238,535 km2
• Accra: capital of Ghana
• Ghana is a Unitary state with
ten(10) administrative regions
• Ghana is one of the continent's
fastest growing economies,
and newest oil producer

3. Burden of disease
• The highest health priority areas are Maternal
Health and infant Morbidity/Mortality
• Causes of Infant Morbidity and Mortality are:
• Low patronage of routine immunization in
children (vaccine‐preventable diseases)
• Poor drinking water supply and inadequate
sanitation contributes to an estimated 10,000
deaths annually from diarrhoea related diseases,
the third largest killer of children under 5 years
of age

4. National Health Strategies
• Health Initiatives:
 Malaria Control Program,
 Ante natal and Post natal services
 Expanded Program on Immunization
 Vitamin A supplementation
• Under‐5 mortality rate decreased from 155 in 1988 to 82 in
2008 per 1000 live births.
• 96% of pregnant women receive antenatal care from a skilled
provider and 77% of women receive postnatal care within 41
days of delivery.
• About 19% of children under 5 are diagnosed of malaria fever
every 2 weeks.

5. Water and Sanitation
Rural
Water
69
Urban
91
Total
80
100
60
Sanitation 9
21
91
80
86
92
92
79
70
69
15
56
40
38
Source: 2011 MICS
20
0
9
21
5
8
Water
9
15
15
Sanitation
• Priority objectives (Sanitation): eliminate open defecation,
increase access to improved sanitation, Safe treatment and
disposal of faecal sludge, septage and sewage (decentralized
treatment facilities)
• Priority objectives (Water): Increase access to water, equity in
water access and distribution, sustainability

6. Integration
• WASH is cross‐cutting in all the 8 MDGs and influences the
achievement of the various targets.
• Policies and National WASH Programme
– Water and ES policies
– CLTS
– CWSP
– Pursuing the Implementation of NESSAP/MAF/SWA
Compact

7. Household water treatment and safe storage
• HWTS refers to drinking‐water treated and kept safe at the point of
use( in the home, in schools, health care settings, etc.)
• HWTS has significant potential to reduce water‐borne diseases (e.g.
diarrhoea) and achieve improvement in health of population of
Ghana especially children.
• 90.7% do not use any method for treating water
• 1.6% Boil, 0.7% Add bleach, 3.3% Strain through Cloth, 0.9% Water
filter, 1.9 Stand and settle, 1.2% use camphor, 0.2 Water Tablets
• HWTS products available are: Ceramic filters, Bio‐sand filters,
chlorine purification tablets among others.
• According to the UNICEF HWTS assessment report, many HWTS
products present challenge in terms of performance, portability,
affordability and maintenance.

8. Policy Framework
• HWTS is a strategy under the National Water Policy
 There is a TWG where decisions on HWTS are taken
 Decisions are discussed at the NTWGS and the WSSWG for
approval
 Implementation of decisions by the WASH structures at the
MMDA level
• Policy and implementation challenges include;
– Inadequate financial resources
– Weak coordination
– Poor Attitudes of the populace
– Inadequate Private Sector Participation

9. Programmatic initiatives
• Government has provided the needed enabling
environment for the private sector and limited support
to field workers to promote HWTS
• A National strategy for HWTS has been developed
• Scaling – up and sustaining HWTS in Ghana:
‐ Using the Private sector for supply and delivery of
HWTS products
‐ Aggressive Social marketing and community
mobilisation
‐ Research & Monitoring, Policy Dialogue & Advocacy

10. Opportunities / Challenges
• Biggest opportunities for HWTS
 the availability of vibrant private sector
 critical mass of field staff
 existence of HWTS strategy
• Biggest challenge to scaling up HWTS in Ghana
 inadequate incentives to the private sector
 Inadequate resources for logistics to promote behaviour
change (vehicles, fuel, promotion materials)