World Vision Ghana has launched a 5-year Universal Service Coverage programme targeting the Wa West and Wa East districts, with a focus on expanding access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene.

The programme, chaired by development advocate and lecturer at the University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS), Dr. George Dery, brought together representatives from the two beneficiary district assemblies, the Upper West Regional Coordinating Council, and stakeholders to sign MOUs and roll out a joint roadmap.

Opening the engagement, the Director of Strategy and Integrated Programmes at World Vision Ghana, Joshua Baidoo, said the focus was on aligning vision and strengthening collaboration to improve WASH services in the two districts.

“WASH is not just about infrastructure. It is about health. It is about dignity. It is about equity and also about opportunity,” Mr. Baidoo said.

He stressed that despite progress, many communities still face serious challenges, adding that tackling them requires innovative financing, strong governance, data-driven decision-making, and meaningful community participation.

“NGOs and development partners are here to contribute to the effort of the government. We are not going to do anything new. We want to sit with you, engage, and together come up with a clear plan of action,” he added.

Mr. Baidoo said the goal of universal service coverage is ambitious but necessary, stressing that it aims at ensuring that no one is left behind.

The Universal WASH Service Coverage Programmes Manager, Cephas Wedam, outlined the scope of the programme, saying the newly launched WASH business plan aims to reach 700,000 people by 2030 and beyond 2032.

“Already in our programming we can reach nearly 100,000 people every year with safe water,” Mr. Wedam said.

On sanitation, he said the target is to reach over 300,000 people with improved facilities across 23 operational areas.

A representative of the National Director of World Vision Ghana, Robel Womisho, thanked the district assemblies for their commitment and described the MOU signing as a key milestone.

“What we have done here today is an important milestone in the journey towards reaching everyone, everywhere in the Upper West and Upper East districts with sustainable WASH services,” Womisho said.

He explained that the MOUs would serve as a living document to guide planning, resource mobilisation, and implementation.

Dr. George Dery, who chaired the occasion, described the intervention as timely given the region’s water challenges. Citing regional data, he said only 24 per cent of rural communities in the Upper West Region have access to clean water, while 93 per cent of water consumed is contaminated.

“It’s not just about access but also about having access to good drinking water, especially in an environment that is clean,” he said.

He said Wa West and Wa East were correctly targeted, describing them as among the most vulnerable districts in the region.

The District Chief Executive for Wa West, Richard Wullo, said World Vision’s earlier interventions had improved access to water in some communities, noting that a mechanised solar borehole project implemented between 2019 and 2020 had benefited several locations.

He said the intervention had helped reduce conflicts at boreholes in the affected communities.

The District Chief Executive for Wa East, Adamu Shayibu, said the programme comes at the right time for a district that has long struggled with potable water and pledged the assembly’s commitment to coordination and support.

The Chief Planning Officer for the Upper West Regional Coordinating Council, Richard Nii Adjae Laryea, while welcoming the MOU, cautioned that facilities must be properly maintained and managed and emphasised the need for hygiene education to prevent re-contamination of water. He also described Wa West as a special case where both drought and flooding affect water access.

The programme forms part of World Vision’s global “Mapping the Blue Thread” strategy and will run for five years in the Wa West and Wa East districts.