Impact Story
Snapshot from 2025: Ghana
How district practice in Ahafo is reshaping national policy
Since 2017, we’ve worked closely with Asutifi North district in the Ahafo region, to pilot and refine a district-wide approach to water, sanitation and hygiene, supporting master planning that links infrastructure, service management, behaviour change and coordination. Over time, this approach has expanded across the Ahafo Region and created a foundation for regional learning and informed national dialogue.
We convened the National Learning Exchange in Accra with the National Development Planning Commission, WaterAid Ghana and CONIWAS. More than 95 stakeholders, including 17 Municipal and District Assemblies came together to draw lessons from district-wide water and sanitation work, and agree how to strengthen planning and scale effective approaches.
District leaders from Asunafo North, Asutifi North, Tano North and Tano South shared their experiences of leading master planning. Their reflections highlighted the importance of political leadership and local ownership. As the Municipal Chief Executive of Asunafo North said:
If we don’t lead, no one else will. Water and sanitation must be part of our political priorities, not just donor projects.
Municipal Chief Executive of Asunafo North
Districts discussed integrating water and sanitation master plans into Medium-Term Development Plans. Asutifi North’s Ahonidie Mpontuo model (meaning ‘the cleanliness initiative’) illustrated how district-wide planning can combine infrastructure with behaviour change, monitoring and stakeholder engagement including communities and traditional leaders. It also revealed persistent challenges such as financing gaps, sanitation backlogs and weak maintenance systems.
We’ve also shared learning from Ahafo through regional platforms, including research on drivers and barriers to safely managed rural water services which we shared via the Ahafo Regional Learning Alliance Platform. These insights have also informed national policy discussions and professional forums, including the Mole Conference on professionalising rural water services.
Blue: partner areas; Orange: scaling areas
We must influence our peers - what works in one district can inspire others.
Hon. Pius Sampson Opoku, Municipal Chief Executive for Tano North
| 90% | water |
| 32% | sanitation |
| 45% | hygiene |
| 13 | staff |
| 10 | projects |
| 1,3 | million euros project revenue |
| 4 | partner areas |
| 430,722 | population of partner areas |