This document is a national guideline for targeting and providing basic sanitation services for the poor and vulnerable in Ghana. It was developed by the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources with support from all stakeholders in the sanitation sector in Ghana. The Guideline is informed by low sanitation access rates in Ghana, which is considered as one of the biggest threats to socio-economic development of the country.
The Ministry is not oblivious to the urgent need for Ghana to double its steps in increasing access to toilets and work towards sustainable measures to ensure everyone living everywhere in Ghana has a household toilet facility to use. The document is also guided by the country’s resolve to ensure toilet facilities constructed in our communities are done to stand the test of time, with sustainability in mind.
The Ministry believes some sections of the populace are poor and cannot afford their own toilets no matter the time and facilitation skills we put in. To ensure equity, inclusion and sustainability, this guideline is developed to provide directions for stakeholders to properly target the poor and the vulnerable without undermining strong community cohesion and strength in building their own toilets.
The guideline will also serve as a working document and further provide direction and guidance for all stakeholders in the sanitation and hygiene sector in Ghana. Thus, all actions would take alignment from this guideline to ensure harmonisation of collective actions and purpose, to augment efforts in attaining the country’s Sustainable Development Goals on Sanitation and Hygiene.
This guideline has highlighted for implementation the guiding principles, processes to target the poor, minimum standards to qualify households for support, technology options available for adoption, roles of key stakeholders, financing and sustainability issues among others. The guidelines were developed through wide stakeholder consultative process and hence most concerns and inputs of stakeholders were taken on board.
