The Parliamentary Select Committee on Sanitation and Water Resources in Ghana has called for increased and sustainable funding for sanitation, stating that the current 10% allocation from the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) is insufficient to address the country's sanitation challenges. The Committee expressed satisfaction with the use of the allocation by several assemblies in the Volta and Oti regions, citing investments in institutional toilets, boreholes, drainage works, and other sanitation-related projects.
The Committee's assessment was part of its second-phase accountability engagement with Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs), aimed at examining how the statutory allocation is accessed and utilized, the interventions being undertaken, and the challenges affecting implementation. The Committee engaged 18 MMDAs in the Volta Region and received presentations from nine districts in the Oti Region, covering their 2025 and 2026 DACF allocations, receipts, sanitation interventions, and challenges encountered.
Member of Parliament for Salaga South and Committee member, Ibrahimah Mohammed Zuwera, said the presentations showed that the 10% allocation was supporting practical interventions in local communities. She commended the assemblies for their accomplishments, quality of work, and commitment to addressing sanitation challenges, but noted that the Committee had raised concerns about the presentation from the Nkwanta North District Assembly and would require it to appear for further engagement in Accra.
The Committee's assessment reflected the experience of the Krachi East Municipal Assembly, which used its sanitation allocation to undertake desilting, drain construction, dislodging of sanitation facilities, and site clearance. Municipal Chief Executive Sarfo Nketia said the municipality was facing growing pressure on its sanitation and other public facilities due to an influx of people, partly linked to instability and conflicts in surrounding communities.
In the Kadjebi District, District Chief Executive Dr. Sam Suraj Isaka said the assembly had adopted a collaborative approach involving market women and transport operators to improve sanitation at key facilities. The assembly had also invested in water infrastructure, including eight mechanized boreholes, with another five under construction, and had repaired about 23 boreholes and provided hand pumps to communities.
The Committee's engagement reinforced its call for a dedicated national sanitation fund, with Ms. Zuwera stating that additional resources could enable assemblies to expand sanitation interventions, provided the funds were properly targeted and accounted for. The Committee will continue its field engagements and follow up on issues requiring clarification before compiling its findings and recommendations.
The exercise is expected to provide the Committee with a clearer picture of how the 10% DACF sanitation allocation is accessed and utilized, the effectiveness of projects funded through it, and the financial and operational challenges affecting sanitation delivery across the country. The Committee's findings will inform its recommendations for improving sanitation in Ghana.
Key points
- The Parliamentary Select Committee on Sanitation and Water Resources has deemed the 10% allocation from the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) insufficient to address Ghana's sanitation challenges.
- The Committee has called for a dedicated national sanitation fund to support expanded sanitation interventions.
- The Committee's assessment covered 27 MMDAs in the Volta and Oti regions, evaluating their use of the DACF sanitation allocation and its impact on local communities.
