Local stakeholders and government agencies met on 14 April 2011 at the Erata Hotel in Accra to agree on priority actions to get sanitation on track to meet the Millennium Development Goals target by 2015. This follow up workshop was organised by Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development with support from WaterAid in Ghana.

In July the African ministers will meet in Kigali, Rwanda, at AfricaSan 3 to review progress towards the eThekwini commitments on sanitation. The objectives of the conference are to present evidence and exchange learning, track country progress, review the commitments, present country actions, and advocacy to increase the profile of sanitation. The priority actions agreed at the workshop in Accra will be presented at AfricaSan 3 conference as part of Ghana’s country action plan.

Progress on the eThekwini commitments

The country progress report indicates the Ghana has made progress in establishing a sanitation policy, national plan, and increasing the profile of sanitation. Roles have also been clarified with the Environmental Health and Sanitation Directorate acting as the lead agency for sanitation and the National Environmental Sanitation Policy Coordinating Council provides guidance. A sector budget for sanitation was created and an allocation 0.5% of the GDP has been commitment for sanitation.  An ongoing challenge, however, is that Ghana does not have a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation framework.