CSOs present position paper on 2020 national SDG 6 report to NDPC

The Alliance for WASH Advocacy (A4WA), a coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector has presented its position paper on the 2020 national Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 baseline draft report by the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC).

According to the Alliance, there is a need for Ghana to report on all 12

Read full articleindicators to be able to achieve the goal of the SDG 6, which ensures availability and sustainable management of Water and Sanitation for all.

With support from the Catholic Relief Services (CRS), A4WA in conducting the assessment on the 2020 SDGs report realized that five (5) out of twelve (12) SDG 6 indicators were reported on by the NDPC.

The other seven indicators include, “6.3.1 Proportion of wastewater safely treated; 6.4.1 Change in water use efficiency overtime; 6.2. 1b Basic handwashing services; and 6.5.2 Proportion of transboundary basin area with an operational arrangement for water cooperation”.

It also includes, “6.6.1 Change in the extent of water-related ecosystems overtime; 6. a.1 Amount of water and sanitation related ODA that is part of Gov’t co-ordinated spending plan; and 6.b.1 Proportion of local administrative units with established and operational policies and procedures for participation of local communities in water and sanitation management".

In his presentation on the SDG 6 review report by A4WA, Mr Ibrahim Musah, a WASH Consultant, noted that the SDGs were inter-related, interlinked and inter-dependent hence the need to assess the other 7 indicators to get a complete picture of SDG 6.

He underscored the need for Custodian agencies to monitor and gather data for progress review, adding that “and reporting should endeavour to make themselves known to stakeholders.

Mr Ibrahim, who highlighted the need for effective engagement and consultation between key WASH stakeholders, also mentioned the use of existing data platforms for sharing, such as, the National Level Learning Alliance Platform (NLLAP) and Mole Conference.

On his part, Dr Felix Addo-Yobo, the Director of Development Policy at NDPC, described the idea of having a timetable for data collection as commendable, and stated that the Commission intended to launch the process for preparing such reports.

He said NDPCs interest was not only on SDGs, as such, the need for a robust data system in place at the district level which would address all the data needs including SDGs”.


Madam Nora Ollennu, Convenor of the Alliance, also touched on the selection of indicators and how it was being tracked, saying, it appeared were no clear national targets for Ghana in terms of measuring the SDGs.

Madam Ollennu, who doubles as the Chief Executive Officer of Intervention Forum, said the Coalition’s technical committee finalized the outcome of the review, and was hopeful that the document submitted to NDPC would be considered.

Mr Paul Nutsugah, the Western North Regional Environmental Health Officer, pointed out that consistently Ghana has been managing information around the SDG; however, its tracking right from the national level to the community level should be harmonized.

He said “it is important for all stakeholders to appreciate what the targets are, so we can be able to track progress in a united front, so that once we are working towards tracking the indicator we will be able to have one common definition for each indicator across the sector”.

Prior to the presentation, A4WA convened a meeting on 7th October, 2021 in Accra, to review the 2020 national SDG 6 baseline draft report, which served as a platform for participants to identify gaps and achievements so far.