Challenges in the implementation of district water and sanitation plans in Ghana

The preparation of District Water and Sanitation Plans (DWSPs) is a requirement by water and sanitation (watsan) sub-sector players especially among Development Partners (DPs) led by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) and the World Bank to facilitate the implementation of watsan activities. This requirement is borne out of the marginalization of watsan interventions in the allocation of resources at the national through regional to district levels. Consequently, DAs in four (4) out of the 10 regions in Ghana (Greater Accra, Volta, Eastern and Central Regions) have been assisted to prepare and implement their DWSPs under the DANIDA funded Water and Sanitation Sector Programme Support Phases I and II. Independent of this assistance, there are some DAs outside these regions who have also prepared and implemented DWSPs. The implementation of the DWSPs generally over the years has been fraught with considerable challenges both internal and external to the DAs. This paper examines these challenges and proposes recommendations to enhance the implementation of DWSPs in Ghana.