This paper describes and discusses existing and emerging models for the provision of urban and small town water services in Ghana. It is the result of studies conducted under the first phase of the Tri-Partite Partnership (TPP) project, which took place in Ghana from 2008-2010. The focus is on describing the different management models within these service delivery models, in theory and in practice.

There is no single unambiguous definition in policy or legislation in Ghana that defines a small town according to population size or any other criteria. Basically, the Ghana water sector has been divided into two subsectors since the sector reforms of 1998. The ‘urban water sector’, with utility managed water supply, managed by Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) / Ghana Urban Water Company (GUWC), and the ‘rural and small town water sector’, with community managed schemes, facilitated by Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA).