Parliament’s Select Committee on Sanitation and Water Resources is renewing its call for the creation of a dedicated national sanitation fund, citing visible projects delivered by local assemblies in the Volta and Oti Regions through existing statutory allocations.

The Committee’s assessment formed part of its second-phase accountability engagement with Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), focusing on how assemblies access and utilise sanitation allocations, the projects being implemented and the challenges they face.

The Committee said the use of 10% of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) by assemblies for water and sanitation projects has produced visible results and strengthens the case for a dedicated financing mechanism for sanitation.

Speaking to JoyNews’ Stephen Mensah, Member of Parliament for Salaga South and member of the Committee, Ibrahimah Mohammed Zuweraa, said the team had inspected several projects funded through the allocation.

“We recognized that indeed they have not moved away from the government directive and the guidelines of the District Assembly Common Fund to utilise 10% of their District Assembly Common Fund every quarter towards water and sanitation issues,” she said.

According to her, the projects demonstrate what predictable funding can achieve when assemblies have resources available for sanitation interventions.

“For us on the Water and Sanitation Committee, it actually strengthens the case that we are making for a dedicated fund for sanitation in this country because we've seen what the 10% to the districts and municipalities has done,” she said.

Oti assemblies praised

The Committee’s engagement involved 18 MMDAs in the Volta Region and presentations from nine districts in the Oti Region.

The assemblies presented accounts of their 2025 and 2026 DACF allocations and receipts, sanitation interventions undertaken, as well as challenges encountered in accessing and utilising the funds.

Ms Zuweraa said the assemblies in Oti had demonstrated a strong commitment to improving sanitation and had undertaken what she described as quality projects.

She said additional resources could enable the assemblies to expand their interventions and extend sanitation improvements to more communities.

“Out of the nine, eight have been stellar. Their accomplishments, the quality of work that they've done, their dedication, and their appreciation actually of the sanitation issues, I think is top notch,” she said.

The Committee believes the experience from the two regions demonstrates the importance of providing local authorities with predictable and adequate resources to address sanitation challenges.

The Committee said its nationwide monitoring exercise will continue before it compiles its findings and recommendations on sanitation financing and service delivery.

Ms Zuweraa also stressed the importance of Parliament physically inspecting projects rather than relying solely on reports submitted by assemblies.

She said direct engagement and field inspections allow the Committee to better understand the progress made, challenges encountered and the impact of sanitation interventions at the local level.

The Committee is expected to use findings from the ongoing exercise to inform recommendations on how Ghana can strengthen sanitation financing and improve service delivery across the country.