BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE
Disclosing this to the Daily Graphic in an interview on Monday, Mr Kweku Quansah, a
programme officer at the Environmental Health and Sanitation Directorate (EHSD)
of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) and Ghana’s SWA
focal person, said this would however leave a gap of US$469 million, which
would be taken up by development partners and the private sector.
Even before the third Sanitation and Water for All
(SWA) High Level Meeting (HLM) gets underway at the World Bank in Washington DC
on April 11, 2014, the Government of Ghana has pledged a total annual
investment of US$170 million in the water and sanitation sector.
This is made up of an annual injection of US$120
million for water and US$50 million for sanitation.
He gave the gap for water as US$117 million annually,
which puts the total investment in water at US$237 million, and which is
expected to cater for 1.14 million people each year.
For sanitation, the difference in financing to be taken
up by development partners, the private sector and individual households each
year, is put at US$352 million, thus bringing the total annual investment to
US$402 million.
The overall annual investment envisaged for Ghana’s water and sanitation sector after the 2014 HLM, which will be under the theme “Smart investments to achieve water, sanitation and hygiene for all”, is therefore US$639 million.
The SWA HLM
SWA High Level Meetings (HLMs) are held every two years and bring
together ministers responsible for finance, water and sanitation from
developing countries, ministers of development cooperation from donor
countries, high-level representatives from development banks, and
representatives of leading sanitation and water agencies.
This year’s meeting would be convened by the United Nations Children’s
Fund (UNICEF), on behalf of the SWA Partnership chaired by former President of
Ghana, Mr John Agyekum Kufuor and hosted by the World Bank.
Ghana would be represented at the 2014 SWA HLM by the Minister of
Finance, Mr Seth Terkper and Ministers responsible for sanitation and water, Mr
Akwasi Opong-Fosu and Alhaji Collins Dauda respectively, who would together
with two other technical staff from the two ministries, also represent Ghana at a Sector Ministers’
Meeting (SMM) on April 10.
Earlier
Commitments
Sector players have nonetheless accused the government of
not fulfilling earlier financial commitments totalling US$350 million and US$400
million for the water and sanitation sector at the 2010 and 2012 SWA HLMs
respectively, and are wondering how the new figure would be achieved.
But speaking to the issue of the earlier commitments
made by the government, Mr Quansah said “The fact is that we did a lot, almost
64 per cent of the commitment we made in 2010/2012. There were three main
commitments – the political commitments, the institutional commitments and the
financial commitments. Where we didn’t fare well is the financial commitments.”
He however indicated that Ghana did very well in the
other commitments and was adjudged one of the best across the partnership.
While admitting the government’s failure in making good
its earlier financial pledges, he expressed optimism that as the reasons for
the poor showing had been identified, it was going to be better this time
round.
Mr Quansah explained that the two underlying causes
responsible for the government’s poor showing in its financial commitments to
the sector, were the confusion between government and donors in the
contribution of each party and the low inflows from the government to the
sector.
He added that it was also found after a careful study
that “there were not clear and achievable indicators. When you box activities
and commitments together and they become so difficult for you to measure, then
you come back to square one and say how are you going to measure that, how are
you going to make sure that you even know you have achieved that?”
Measures put in place
The SWA focal person said that issue had since been
rectified with government now providing clear and achievable indicators, while
it had also been decided to put together the same team that helped with the
plan to start tracking the progress of government after the 2014 HLM, to
forestall some of the earlier challenges.
While lauding the Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS)
for assisting in tracking the government’s financial commitments, he said government
had also signed unto Tracksin, a mechanism in the World Health Organisation (WHO),
to help developing countries track commitments in their WASH sector.
Specific Commitments for 2014
Specific
commitments made by the government for the WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene)
sector for 2014, include a review of the National Water Policy of 2007 by June,
2015 to come up with a new policy that matches Ghana’s post 2015 agenda.
The government
also pledges to establish District Works Departments in all the 216 districts
in Ghana and provide the necessary logistics for their operations, which would
be reflected in the 2015 and 2016 budget.
There is also in
the offing, a national study on equity and inclusion by end of 2015, to further
improve the assessment of the marginalised and pro-poor groups and adequate
financial provision for new investments, major rehabilitation and expansion of
existing facilities and funding of operational cost of government institutions
for effective delivery of WASH services.
Government says
it is also committed to bridging the gap in financial releases from the Ministry
of Finance which stood at 28 per cent in 2013, to at least 5 per cent within the next two years.
It also pledges
to approve and roll-out with development partners by December 2014, the Water
Sector Strategic Development Plan (SSDP) and establish a framework and
modalities for sector harmonisation and coordination and also establish a
sector information system and process to monitor access, equity, functionality
and quality of WASH services, to inform planning, investment decisions and remedial
actions.
Writer’s email: Edmund.Asante@graphic.com.gh
FACTS
·
According to the 2013 WHO/UNICEF Joint
Monitoring Programme (JMP) update report, Ghana has already achieved her water
target with 86 per cent coverage using improved water sources and that only 14
per cent will need to be provided with safe water by 2025.
·
The JMP puts the urban access rate at 92 per
cent and rural access rate at 80 per cent.
·
National utilities however estimate coverage to
be around 64 per cent as at the end of 2013.
·
The 2013 JMP indicates that only 13 per cent of
Ghanaians use improved sanitation facilities, whilst 18 per cent practice open
defecation and 59 per cent use shared latrines.
This story was first published by graphiconline on April 8, 2014
Govt
pledges to invest US$170m in water, sanitation - See more at:
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