Fragmentation, weak regulation, and traditional financing models can no longer drive Ghana’s sanitation transformation. This was the resounding message at the closing of the 36th MOLE Conference on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), which ended on Thursday, November 6, 2025, at the Marlin Resort in Gomoa-Fetteh.

Addressing participants, the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim, stressed the urgency for a harmonised, data-driven, and transparent regulatory framework to ensure equitable and resilientu WASH service delivery nationwide.

He noted that “the WASH sector cannot continue to operate in silos,” adding that Ghana’s progress demands coherence, professional standards, and reliable enforcement of sanitation by-laws across all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

Hon. Ibrahim underscored that harmonised regulation is the backbone of public trust, private sector confidence, and quality service delivery. The Ministry, he said, would collaborate with Parliament and sector agencies to strengthen regulation and operational clarity from national to district levels.

On financing, the Minister emphasised that achieving safely managed water and sanitation services for all requires bold and innovative financing models. “Vision requires resources,” he asserted, calling for diversification through public-private partnerships, blended finance, sanitation levies, and climate financing mechanisms.

He reaffirmed government’s commitment to create enabling conditions by expanding private sector participation, widening the fiscal space for sanitation, and strengthening local government financing frameworks.

Highlighting innovation as a “strategic requirement,” Hon. Ibrahim urged stakeholders to support local innovators and youth-led WASH solutions that reflect Ghanaian realities. He called for investment in climate-smart sanitation technologies, digital monitoring systems, and faecal sludge management solutions to drive sustainability and inclusion.

The Minister described the MOLE 36 communiqué as a national call to action, urging all stakeholders to translate conference deliberations into measurable outcomes through policy advocacy, technical collaboration, funding commitments, and research.

He also announced that government is upgrading the Environmental Health and Sanitation Units at the MMDAs into full-fledged departments, in line with the 2016 NDC manifesto, and will soon reactivate the Water and Sanitation Sector Working Group to enhance sector coordination.

Concluding his remarks, Hon. Ibrahim called for unity, commitment, and innovation anchored in local context, stressing that “WASH is not a sectoral concern; it is a national development priority and a human right.”

The MOLE 36 Conference, convened by the Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS), brought together government agencies, development partners, private sector actors, civil society, and academia to review progress and renew strategies for achieving Ghana’s Sustainable Development Goal 6 commitments.

SOURCE: Darling Maame Efua Cann

MLGCRA PR Unit

In a continued  bid to drive, promote fiscal discipline and evidence-based reporting, the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs (MLGCRA) on Thursday, 6th November 2025, convened a Budget Committee Meeting to validate the Ministry’s third quarter performance report ahead of its submission to the Ministry of Finance.

The session brought together representatives from the Ministry’s departments, allied institutions, and project coordinating units to rigorously review sector performance for July, August, and September 2025, ensuring that every detail reflected the Ministry’s true operational and financial progress.

Addressing participants, the Director in Charge of Budget at the Ministry, Mrs. Freda Faah, underscored the importance of accuracy and collaboration in public financial reporting. She noted that the Ministry collated inputs from key institutions such as the Department of Community Development, Institute of Local Government Studies, Department of Parks and Gardens, Births and Deaths Registry, Social Investment Fund, Office of the Local Government Service, Ghana Productive Safety Net Project II, and the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority, among others.

Mrs. Faah commended the various teams for their dedication and timely submission of data, which facilitated the efficient completion of the report. She urged all stakeholders to sustain this momentum as preparations begin for the fourth quarter reporting cycle.

The validation exercise reaffirms the Ministry’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and performance-driven governance, ensuring that the Local Government sector remains well-positioned to deliver on its mandate.

Source: Chantal Aidoo

Public Relations Unit, MLGCRA

The Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs (MLGCRA) has launched the revised Manual for the Preparation of Spatial Plans, and Zoning Guidelines and Planning Standards, reaffirming government’s commitment to promoting orderly, inclusive, and sustainable spatial development across the country.

In a keynote address by the Deputy Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Hon. Rita Naa Odoley Sowah (MP), at the launch in Accra on Monday, 3^rd November 2025, she indicated that the revised documents are a practical tool for empowerment aimed at equipping the assemblies with the guidance needed for smarter and more coordinated spatial planning.

She was of the view that an effective spatial planning is fundamental to Ghana’s sustainable development agenda and the advancement of government’s flagship programmes such as the Big Push Initiative, the Ghana Infrastructure Plan, and the 24-Hour Economy Programme.

Hon. Sowah underscored that the launch of the revised documents comes at a crucial time when Ghana is deepening decentralization and enhancing the capacity of Regional Coordinating Councils (RCCs) and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to deliver on their mandates. She added that as urbanization accelerates, it is imperative to guide the growth and redevelopment of settlements through evidence-based and harmonized spatial planning standards.

Reflecting on the evolution of Ghana’s spatial planning framework, the Deputy Minister noted that the original manuals were developed in 2011 under the then Town and Country Planning Department. However, the passage of the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, 2016 (Act 925), with the subsidiary Legislative Instrument 2384, and the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936) has necessitated the comprehensive review and alignment of the documents with the current legal, policy, and development context.

Hon. Sowah commended the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUSPA) for its visionary leadership and coordination throughout the revision process, while expressing appreciation to all collaborating institutions  including the  RCCs, MMDAs, Civil Society Organisation, traditional authorities, and development partners for their invaluable contributions as well as  the German Corporation (GIZ) for its technical support in the review and update of the manuals.

The revised manuals provide a consistent and collaborative framework to guide land use, manage human settlements and promote safe, inclusive and resilient communities.

She urged the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives present at the launch to commit to implementing these guidelines with diligence and innovation, stressing that their collective efforts will ensure Ghana’s human settlements are not only well-planned and functional, but just, equitable, and sustainable.

Source: Chantal Aidoo

Public Relations Unit, MLGCRA