1. Ghana 2017-18 Water Management Country Status Factsheet
SDG Indicator 6.5.1: Degree of implementation of
integrated water resources management (0-100)
Ghana
Target 6.5 By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate.
SDG implementation
Country Background (WB 2017)
Population: million
Area: 238,540 sq. km
Human Development Index rank/category: 140/Medium (UNDP 2017)
General overview: Ghana generally has sufficient water resources to meet current and future demands, as long as they are properly managed and allocated. Irrigation is not currently a major user but there is potential for irrigation demand to increase significantly.
Water Governance Background
National Institutions: Water Resources Commission (est. 1996?).
National Policy: National Water Policy (2007)
National Law: No overarching law but some regulations exist.
National IWRM Plan: Created 2012.
Basin Management: River Basin Management Boards facilitate stakeholder coordination and participation. IWRM plan implementation active in 7/15 major basins.
Aquifer Management: Mainly limited to 3 northern regions. Groundwater Management Strategy (2011) is in place, but limited implementation.
IWRM dimension
Score (0-100)
Summary of implementation status
1. Enabling environment (policies, laws and plans)
Medium-high: 56
Ghana has established policies (2007) and plans ( ) at national and basin levels. There is a regulatory framework to some extent though enforcement by District authorities needs to be strengthened.
2. Institutions and Participation (institutional capacity, cross-sector coordination and stakeholder participation)
Medium-high: 55
The Water Resources Commission (WRC) was established by the 1996 Act. The WRC and several River Basin Management Boards generally have sufficient capacity to facilitate cross-sector collaboration and high levels of stakeholder participation. Gender strategies exist but with limited budget and implementation.
3. Management Instruments (management and monitoring programmes, data & information sharing)
Medium-low: 40
Some management instruments are generally in place for a range of water management aspects, though there are typically gaps in coverage and issues with sustainability.
4. Financing (budgeting and financing)
Medium-low: 44
There is a relatively low level water development in Ghana. Budget is generally allocated though disbursed funds, which are typically insufficient for planned activities.
IWRM implementation status (0-100)
Medium-low: 49
On average, most elements of IWRM are institutionalised and are being implemented as part of long-term programmes.
IWRM Implementation
Very low
Low
Medium-low
Medium-high
High
Very high
Score range
0-10
11-30
31-50
51-70
71-90
91-100

2. Water Resources Background (source: Aquastat)
Water availability: 2,050 m3/cap/yr (2014)
Water withdrawal: 50 m3/cap/yr (2000)
Renewable Surface Water: 55 10^9 m3/year (2014)
Renewable Groundwater: 26 10^9 m3/year (2014)
Envir. Flow Req. (EFR): 21 10^9 m3/year (2017)
Water Services Background (International Benchmarking Network IBNET)
Dam capacity per capita: 5,418 m3/cap (2015) (Aquastat)
Water connection coverage: 55% (2012)
Sewerage connection coverage: 24% (2005)
Revenue to operation cost revenue: 1.16 (2009)
Non-Revenue Water (NRW): 52% (losses) (2009)
Investment in water and sanitation with private sector participation: US$ 126 mill (2012 only)
Financing
- Budget for infrastructure from govt. (15%) and IDA (85%) generally sufficient but not fully disbursed.
- Budget for ongoing costs from govt. (15%), raised revenue (55%) and ODA (30%) generally insufficient.
Private sector: Involvement of the private sector has been limited to recent regular consultation to encourage corporate social responsibility.
SDG 6 indicators
Status
6.1.1 Access to safely managed drinking water
27% (2015)
6.2.1 Access to safely managed sanitation
14%1 (2015)
6.3.1 Proportion of wastewater safely treated
No data
6.3.2 Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality
6.4.1 Water-use efficiency
5.6 USD/m3 (low) (2015)
6.4.2 Level of water stress (withdrawals / available freshwater resources)
3% (2014)
6.5.2 Proportion of transboundary basin area with operational water cooperation arrangements
91% (2018)
6.6.1 Change in extent of water-related ecosystems
9% gain ( vs )
1 ’At least basic’ service.
n/a
Sectoral use
% of total withdrawals1
Priority level2
Municipal (Domestic)
24%
Highest
Agriculture
66%
High
Industry
10%
Energy
Environment
EFR 37%
Low
1 Aquastat; 2 UNEP 2012 IWRM status report
IWRM Implementation
Very low
Low
Medium-low
Medium-high
High
Very high
Potential priority areas, constraints and enablers
Water resources management instruments exist for many elements, but stakeholder and geographic coverage generally needs to be increased.
Increased budgeting, and ensuring funds are distributed, are critical to ensure that water resources management activities ’on the ground’ are effective.
For more information and support
Including completed country questionnaires:
This factsheet has been produced by: UN Environment-DHI Centre
Financial support: Danida.