Understanding the Transition in the Water and Sanitation Sector of Northern Ghana

Northern Ghana, made up of Northern, Upper East, Upper West and parts of Brong-Ahafo and Volta Regions of Ghana has over the years suffered from under development. These regions enjoyed very limited economic attractions, unlike Southern Ghana, that is rich in cocoa and minerals and other natural resources. Focus of colonial and post colonial governments were therefore concentrated at the south to the neglect of the north and this invariably resulted in huge inequalities between the two sections of Ghana. Research shows that out of the 18% of Ghanaians who live in extreme poverty, 54% are from Northern Ghana. These conditions of widespread poverty and neglect led to the proliferation and concentration of activity by all manner of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) including both local and International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) in Northern, Upper West and Upper East of Northern Ghana in various sectors including Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) to complement the efforts of government in the provision of services and human development. However, after twenty (20) years of NGO intervention in Northern Ghana, evidence rather show of increased poverty and an underdeveloped physical, human and financial infrastructure. This resulted in apathy, mistrust and a sense of un appreciation towards the third sector of the economy by residents of Northern Ghana. Using the sector of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene and Tamale Metropolis as points of entry, the research objective was to explore into the transition over the 20 year period of CSOs involvement and describe the role of NGOs and CBOs to the process at different historical time phases. The research questions; what kind of strategies did NGOs and CBOs employ in the water and sanitation transition in Tamale Metropolis? How do these strategies impact in the transition processes? Which factors support and which factors hinder the strategies employed in the transition process? were asked to unearth data about their contribution to the field. The method was qualitative as such relied heavily on in-depth interviews and observation of the NGOs and CBOs and their activities. The same instruments were used to validate the data from the communities that such NGOs and CBOs operated and experts from government agencies involved in WASH service provision. Secondary data was also collected from both the NGOs and CBOs and other governmental agencies. The transition in the WASH sector related to the strategies employed including service delivery (physical infrastructure provision), capacity building, advocacy and the strategy of funding employed. These strategies impacted in the physical infrastructure increase, institutional and behavior change of actors in five historical time phases from 1994-2013. The findings revealed an increasing evidence of behavior change particularly at the community level. These changes took the form of household latrine construction, practices of disposal of refuse into designated refuse pits, practice of dig and bury of faecal matter, construction of soak-a-ways for waste water and institution of communal clean up days. Institutional change was found to be directed at the policy level and therefore recognisable at the national level. The scraping of the 5% capital cost down payment by communities before water services were provided, the institution of the annual Mole Conference Series platform for sector-actor engagement, the joint representation of government and civil society representative at international conferences were some of the identified changes. Although these have a bearing on the activities of regional, districts and local level, the findings revealed very little behavior and institutional change at the district and regional levels even though these institutions particularly the district assembly or local authority serves as both the political and approval authority regarding development at the local levels. It was finally concluded that the WASH sector transition was initiated by the landscape who in this case represent international actors such as the World Bank, CIDA and DANIDA and it took the path of a transformation where the international actors moderately pushed for change in the sector. Again the extent and magnitude of contribution by NGOs and CBOs to the sector was determined by the kind and number of strategies employed. However, the general influence of NGOs and CBOs strategies on the transition process can was described as procedural and sensitizing where they participate in formal decision making and by raise public awareness to WASH related issues. This, coupled with other factors explains the reason for the widening case of inequality and poverty despite the several years of CSO involvement in the metropolis and the region at large.