MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL ON SUSTAINABLE SANITATION IN GHANA: A REALITY OR A MIRAGE? A REVIEW.

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1 African Journal of Science and Research,2016,(5)3:01-06 ISSN: Available Online: MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL ON SUSTAINABLE SANITATION IN GHANA: A REALITY OR A MIRAGE? A REVIEW. Bryant, I. M 1,2.; Martienssen, M 1 ; Burkhardt, M 1. 1 Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Process Engineering, Brandenburg Technical University,Cottbus-Senftenberg,Cottbus,Germany. 2Department of Environmental Science, School of Biological Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast-Ghana. ibryant@ucc.edu.gh Received:05,Apr,2016 Accepted:31,May2016. Abstract The problem of poor sanitation in Ghana with its associated annual outbreak of diseases like cholera should be of greatest concern to both the citizenry and the Ghana Government as a whole. The MDG 7 emphasizes ensuring environmental sustainability with four targets w hich include the third target (MDG 7C): to halve the proportion of the population of Ghanaians without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. The specific target by Ghana Government towards achieving national target on improved sanitation in both urban an d rural areas was 85% by the year This national target was higher than the 54% set by Ghana towards the UN s goal and target. Fifteen years after the formulation of the MDGs, the UN following their conference on Sustainable Development dubbed Rio+20 in 2012, agreed to set ne w global goals called Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ending in 2030 to address key systemic barriers that the MDGs failed to tackle. These barriers include inequality, unsustainable consumption patterns, weak institutional capacity and environmental degradation. A critical review on the progress made by Ghana on the MDG target on sanitation and measures towards the current national sanitation achievement (26%) is imperative. Identifying the major bottlenecks why the 54% target of the MDG 7C on sanitation was not achieved and assessing h ow these bottlenecks are likely to impede SDG 6 with respect to the targets on sanitation for Ghana and comparing the situation in Gha na to a Sub- Saharan African country like Angola that made significant achievements on MDG 7C is critical. Keywords: Millennium Development Goals, Sustainable Development Goals, Sanitation, Sustainability. INTRODUCTION In the year 2000, the world leaders at the Millennium Summit of the United Nations came out with some developmental goals called the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for the international community (United Nations, 2015c). The MDGs included: eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; achieving universal primary education; promoting gender equality and women s empowerment; reducing child mortality and improving maternal health; combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability; and developing a global partnership for development (United Nations, 2015 b&c). Ghana is part of the member states that endorsed the MDGs at the UN General Assembly in September 2001 (MDGs-Ghana, 2015). The MDG 7 which emphasizes ensuring environmental sustainability encompasses four targets which include the third target (MDG 7C): to halve the proportion of the population of Ghanaians without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. The Government of Ghana set the targets of 78 percent and 54 percent, respectively, to the UN to achieve access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation on the track to achieving the MDG 7C (MDGs- Ghana, 2015). Besides the MDG target 7C set by Ghana to the UN, Ghana as a country also set its own internal national target of 85 % for both safe drinking water and improved sanitation in both urban target 6.3 emphasizes and rural areas of the country (Water and Santitation Program -Africa region, 2015). The Ghana MDGs Report (2015) clearly states that the target 7C, halving the proportion without access to safe drinking water has been achieved but on poor sanitation, it is persistent (MDGs-Ghana, 2015). Globally, it is still reported that about 2.5 billion people are still living without access to basic sanitation at the end of the MDGs target period and that is a clear indication that the MDG 7C was not achieved worldwide (National Population Council, 2014). Most countries which could not achieve the MDG 7C are in developing countries such as Ghana, where access to improved sanitation facilities is still a problem and this is exacerbated in the urban slums and peri-urban dwellers as well as rural inhabitants (National Population Council, 2014; Songsore, 2009). Fifteen years after the formulation of the MDGs, the United Nations following their conference on Sustainable Development dubbed Rio+20 in 2012, agreed to set new global goals called Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which are intended to go beyond the MDGs and offer all-inclusive ideas and agenda for the development of all countries in the next 15 years, ending in 2030 (Brigitte Baptiste, 2015; Osborn, Cutter, & Ullah, 2015; SDSN, 2015). The SDGs were outlined to address key systemic barriers that the MDGs failed to tackle. These barriers include inequality, unsustainable consumption patterns, weak institutional capacity and environmental degradation (ICSU, 2015). The SDGs like the MDGs further set goals; with goal 6 (SDG 6) highlighting the issue of sanitation and it states to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all (Brigitte Baptiste, 2015; Osborn, Cutter, & Ullah, 2015; SDSN, 2015). The target 6.2 of the Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) states to achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all, and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations by Furthermore, the halving the proportion of untreated wastewater, and increasing recycling and safe reuse by x% globally by 2030 while target 6.6a expound expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water and sanitation related activities and programmes, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies. The final target of the SDG 6 on sanitation (target 6.6b) states support and strengthen the participation of local communities for improving water and sanitation management (Brigitte Baptiste, 2015; Osborn, Cutter, & Ullah, 2015; United Nations, 2015a).

2 2 As part of efforts by Ghana to achieve the SDG goal 6 on sanitation, it is imperative first of all, to re-examine the MDG 7C (halving the number of Ghanaians without access to basic sanitation) and scrutinize the progress made so far by Ghana on this target and measures put in place towards current national sanitation achievement of 26 percent. In addition, it is more expedient to identify major bottlenecks why the 54 percent target of the MDG on sanitation was not achieved and assess how these bottlenecks are likely to impede the SDG 6 for Ghana and compare the situation in Ghana to a Sub-Saharan African country like Angola that has made significant achievements on MDG 7C. EFFORTS BY GHANA TOWARD ACHIEVING MDG 7C Definition of Improved Sanitation Facility (ISF) in Ghana Operational definition of improved sanitation facility is explained as one that hygienically prevents human excreta from coming into contact with humans. Examples include flush or pour flush toilets to a piped sewer system, septic tank, or latrine; ventilated improved pit latrine, pit latrine with slab, and a composting toilet (Ghana Statistical Service, 2013). It is estimated that improved sanitation facilities have the potential to reduce diarrhoeal disease by more than a third, and could reduce deaths and diseases among millions of children in developing countries like Ghana (Ghana Statistical Service, 2013). Improved sanitation facilities do not only ensure healthy population but also improve socio-economic development of every nation (National Population Council, 2014). Ghana s Policy Framework on MDG 7C on sanitation For the past 15 years after the setting up and adoption of the MDG 7C, Ghana has been making frantic efforts to achieve it. For example, there was an establishment of a policy aimed at increasing the fraction of Ghanaians that have access to sanitation services and to encourage the practice of three key hygiene behaviours; hand washing with soap, safe excreta disposal and household water treatment and safe storage (National Population Council, 2014). Furthermore, National Water Policy (NWP) (2007) was developed and has as part of its key strategic issues to develop, utilize and implement basic principles to address the challenges confronting water and sanitation subsector in Ghana. In addition, there was a launch of the National Environmental Sanitation Strategy and Action Plan (NESSAP) ( ). The NESSAP was developed to provide clear strategies and action plans that will guide the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to execute their targets on improving sanitation within their catchment areas (National Population Council, 2014). Other related policies and strategies directed at improving access to improved sanitation facilities in the country were developed. These include: the Environmental Sanitation Policy of Ghana, which was produced in September 2010 with the overall goal of developing a clear and nationally accepted vision of environmental sanitation as an essential social service and a major element for improving health and quality of life of Ghanaians and to strengthen all efforts in dealing with the devastating challenges of poor sanitation in Ghana; Medium Term National Development Policy Framework (MTDPF, ), which has environmental sanitation as a key component of national development policy frameworks; and finally, Sanitation and Water for All (SWA): A Global Framework for Action, which is an international directive espoused to augment the already existing national policies (National Population Council, 2014). With these policies, frameworks, guidelines, strategies and action plans developed and implemented by Ghana, some achievements of the MGD 7C on the part of sanitation were made Bryant, I. M et.al within the MDG period of a decade and a lustrum (Ghana Statistical Service, 2011). Regional Coverage on Improved Sanitation Facilities (ISF) in Ghana According to the Ghana Statistical Service (2011), generally about 61 percent of the Ghanaian population live in households that use improved sanitation facilities (ISF). The percentage coverage levels of ISF per the regions of Ghana indicate that the Greater Accra Region has about 85.2 % of its inhabitants using ISF followed by Ashanti Region (82%), then Brong Ahafo Region (66.4 %), Eastern Region (61.1 %) and Central Region (60.3%). The rest were Western Region (53.7%), Volta Region (48.6%), Northern Region (26.4%), Upper-West Region (24.3%) and lastly Upper-East Region (10.1%) (Ghana Statistical Service, 2013). The use of ISF in Ghana has been highly linked with wealth and educational status of the people, with special emphasis being placed on the heads of households (Ghana Statistical Service, 2013). For example, it is appraised that less than 1 in 5 (19%) and 44 percent of the household members belonging to the poorest wealth category and second wealth category respectively in Ghana have access to an improved sanitation facility (Ghana Statistical Service, 2013). Nearly 70 percent of household members in the middle wealth class and 79 percent in the wealthy class and 94 percent in the wealthiest category have access to ISF (Ghana Statistical Service, 2013). It has also been estimated that 80 percent of Ghanaians living in households in urban areas and 43 percent in rural areas have access to ISF (Ghana Statistical Service, 2011), however, the type of ISF being used differ between urban and rural dwellers. In the urban areas of Ghana, the use of flush toilets with connection to a sewer system or a septic tank is about 26 percent; of which 15.4 percent are water closet. Additionally, about 40 percent of the urban dwellers use ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrines or pit latrines without slabs; of which 10.5 percent are Kumasi Ventilated Pit Latrine (KVIP) while 19.0 percent are pit latrine type (National Population Council, 2014; Ghana Statistical Service, 2011). The use of VIP or pit latrines without slabs is commonly found among Ghanaian rural dwellers. Some of the VIPs, KVIPs or pit latrines are public toilet facilities with about 34.6 percent of Ghanaians using public toilets. Despite the constructions of ISF (5,384 toilets: comprising 3,660 household VIP latrines, 1,430 household KVIP latrines and 294 institutional latrines nationwide) by the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) in 2010 (Water and Sanitation Sector Performance Report, 2010), about 23 percent of the Ghanaian populace still practise open defecation or have no toilet facility (National Population Council, 2014; Ghana Statistical Service, 2011), of which greater percentage of this number live in rural areas or in the urban slums (Songsore, 2009). Regional coverage on access to other sanitation-related facilities Other sanitation-related facilities can be explained as any facility apart from the ISF which humans use in order to ensure clean and safe environment. Examples include bath rooms, waste bins for solid waste collection and disposal and wastewater collection and treatment facilities. A report on the population and housing census survey carried out by the Ghana Statistical Service in 2010 indicated that, only about 28.1 percent of Ghanaians have bathrooms in their homes exclusively used by members of the household, with about 33.3 percent using bathrooms separated from their homes and are shared with non-household members. About 18 percent used open cubicles in the neighbourhood whereas 13 percent of Ghanaians still

3 African Journal of Science and Research, 2016,(5)3: have no access to bathroom facilities (National Population Council, 2014). Figure 1 below depicts access to bathrooms in Ghana. Fig (1)Percentage distribution of types of bath rooms in Ghana (NPC, 2014). Regarding disposal of solid waste, figure 2 below shows the achievements made by Ghana so far in relation to the MDG 7C. A greater percentage of 37.7 percent dispose-off their waste on open dump-site while the least percentage of 9.1 percent of Ghanaians dump their solid waste indiscriminately, with 10.7 percent burning their waste (National Population Council, 2014). Fig(2) Solid waste disposal methods in Ghana (NPC, 2014). Concerning liquid waste management in Ghana, 35.2 percent of Ghanaians discharge their liquid waste in the compound of their homes while 28.1 percent discharge their liquid waste in the open space outside their houses. About 18.1 percent discharge their liquid waste into public gutters or open drains, 10.9 into drainage system leading into gutters, 3.1 percent into drainage system into pits and 3.4 percent into central sewage system (National Population Council, 2014; Obuobie et al., 2006). GHANA AND THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 6 (SDG 6) The UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) has an aspect that captures issues on sanitation and states Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all (United Nations, 2015a) and has some targets which place emphasis on sanitation. The target 6.2 of the Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) states to achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all, and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations by Furthermore, the target 6.3 emphasizes halving the proportion of untreated wastewater, and increasing recycling and safe reuse by x% globally by 2030 while target 6.6a expound expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water and sanitation related activities and programmes, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies. The final target of the SDG 6 on sanitation (target 6.6b) states support and strengthen the participation of local communities for improving water and sanitation management (Brigitte Baptiste, 2015; ICSU, 2015; Osborn et al., 2015; United Nations, 2015a). Juxtaposing the bottlenecks facing Ghana on MDG 7C to SDG 6 on sanitation issues Since the adoption of the MDG 7C in the year 2000 by Ghana, a number of factors have militated against the country s efforts not only towards achieving the MDG target 7C on sanitation (on the 54 percent target set to the UN) but also, the internal national target of 85 percent coverage nationwide on sanitation for both urban and rural dwellers. These bottlenecks include: high population growth and low investment in sanitation infrastructure, rapid urbanisation and unplanned expansion of settlements, and high poverty and illiteracy levels. The others are unavailability of accurate and timely data on sanitation and inadequate release of funds by Governments and misuse of money intended for sanitation for other purposes e.g. Building of Chief s palace and payment of salaries of District Assembly workers (Ghana Statistical Service, 2013; Siita, et. al., 2012) and weak environmental sanitation monitoring and enforcement systems (MDGs-Ghana, 2015; Water and Santitation Program - Africa Region, 2015; Water and Sanitation Sector Performance Report, 2010). High Population Growth and low investment in sanitation infrastructure The population of Ghana has increased from million in the year 2000 when the MDG 7C was adapted to million in the year 2015 when it ended. This represents an increase of 8 million (42.6 %) within a span of 15 years. With the current growth rate of 2.2%, it can be projected that the population of Ghana will reach 37.3 million by the year 2030 (Ghana Statistical Service, 2013). With this high increase in the population of Ghana, compounded by rapid rural-urban migration and the current slow pace in providing sanitation infrastructure in the country, it is quite obvious that Ghana s efforts towards achieving the SDG 6 on sanitation is unrealistic more especially when commitments and efforts at sanitation infrastructure and delivery in the country is very low (Mensah & Antwi, 2013). Rapid urbanization and unplanned expansion of human settlements Rural-urban migration, which is commonly called rapid urbanization is the movement of people from the rural areas to the cities which are considered to be urban centres (Nsiah-Gyabaah, 2003). Rapid urbanization has resulted in individuals expanding the built-up area in the cities to make them their abodes without any thorough considerations of the negative externalities these may have on the environment as a whole (Nsiah-Gyabaah, 2003). One of the major challenges with rapid urbanization is inadequate housing, and when housing is available it is rather sub-standard and overcrowded for the urban dwellers leading to what is known as urban slums. Urban slum is described by the United Nations Agency UN-HABITAT as a run-down area of a city characterized by sub-standard housing and squalor and lacking tenure security (UN-HABITAT, 2003). In Ghana, there are a number of urban slums in the major cities like Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, Cape Coast and Tamale. Formation of urban slums comes with its associated poor sanitation and waste management problems, as well as air and water pollution. In most

4 4 developing countries such as Ghana, access to sanitation facilities is a problem and this is exacerbated in the urban slums (Songsore, 2009). Thus, as there is still unequal distribution of the national resources in Ghana, the pressure of rural-urban drift will still persist. Once this problem of rapid urbanization is persistent, its corresponding problem of poor sanitation will also arise. Consequently, if Ghana wants to achieve the SDGs, the country must first of all concentrate on equitable resource distribution in order to minimize the problem of rural-urban drift and its resultant poor sanitation. The problem of poor infrastructure for water and sanitation still exist in Ghana. This infrastructural gap needs to be bridged before the country s target of achieving the SDG can become a reality (Mensah & Antwi, 2013). Inadequate sanitation infrastructure is prevalent especially in the rural areas (10%) since only three cities in the country are sewered to about 40 percent. Due to this lack of adequate sanitation infrastructure, wastewater is hardly treated in the country. In addition, there exist a big gap between the various administrative regions of the country with regards to adequate sanitation infrastructure (Mensah & Antwi, 2013). It is more than doubtful if Ghana can astronomically increase its sanitation infrastructure to about 50 percent nationwide coverage considering the current trends of lack of adequate funds and political will by the governments (Mensah & Antwi, 2013). High Poverty and Illiteracy Rates Ghana s efforts to reduce poverty within the MDG period saw an overall national reduction of 2 percent in the year 2012/13 (MDGs- Ghana, 2015) and an eventual overall national reduction of about 10.5 percent within the final 8 years in the MDG period (United Nations, 2014). However, there was an increase in the levels of poverty by 1 percent in the rural areas of Ghana (MDGs-Ghana, 2015). High poverty levels (for e.g. 78 percent in the three northern regions) in Ghana will defeat the purpose of ending open defecation in the entire nation (GSS, 2012). This is because when a person struggles to afford one square meal in a day, it will be very absurd to tell such a person to pay a particular amount to ease himself in an improved sanitation facility which most users have often complained of not only having serious odour but also very unsanitary (Obeng et. al., 2015). In this scenario, the person will be motivated to choose the easiest option for easing himself, thus open defecation on the open fields around. The problem of high poverty levels does not only persist in the three northern regions, even though they are the most affected. Thus, if Ghana wants to achieve the SDG s target of ending open defecation, then the country should first of all concentrate on solving the problem of high poverty levels which has a direct nexus with open defecation. The issue of open defecation is also closely linked to the illiteracy level of the populace of Ghana. Table 1.0 below shows the linkage between open defecation and illiteracy level of Ghanaians. Table(1) Linkage between educational level and practise of open defecation Educational Level Percentage that practise open defecation (%) No education 45 Primary education 26 Middle/JHS education 12 Secondary or higher 8 education Source: Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), 2012 Even though about 20 percent of Ghanaians who have received Bryant, I. M et.al Middle/Junior High school (JHS) education or more still practise open defecation, 71 percent of those with only primary education or without education at all, practise open defecation. It can therefore be deduced that the more enlightened Ghanaians get to know the essence of clean and safe environment, the lower the possibility of practise of open defecation. Consequently, efforts must be channeled towards improving the literacy levels of Ghana to minimize the possibility of open defecation which as it stands now, about a-quarter of the people of Ghana currently practise. Unavailability of Accurate and Timely Data on Sanitation Availability of reliable data and information is very key when considering planning any infrastructural developments for any nation. Reliable information and data relating to sanitation issues in Ghana is a big challenge as was reported in Water and Santitation Program -Africa Region report (2015) for Ghana. In the report, it came out clear that there is deficiency in consolidation of information and data on sanitation by the different stakeholders of this sector. These stakeholders include the sector ministries (MoLGRD: Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development; MoE: Ministry of Education; MEST: Ministry of Environment, Science, and Technology; and MoWRWH: Ministry of Water Resources Works and Housing), development partners, Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), civil society, academia, and the private sector (Water and Santitation Program -Africa Region, 2015). The other stakeholders are Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), Water and Sanitation Development Board (WSDB), Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and District Environmental Health Officers (DEHOs) (Water and Santitation Program -Africa Region, 2015). These different stakeholders have different data, reports and publications on sanitation situation in Ghana but they have not been able to synchronize their different data and information into one national sanitation database (Water and Santitation Program -Africa Region, 2015). This presents a very big challenge ahead of Ghana, considering its adopting and implementing the SDG 6 on sanitation. If there are no reliable and accurate timely data, then it would be very difficult to make proper planning and projections with respect to sanitation infrastructure and sanitation services delivery in Ghana. For that reason, it would be very prudent for the authorities in Ghana responsible for sanitation, to first of all establish a national database on sanitation infrastructure and services in order to adequately strategize for the SDG 6 and its targets on sanitation. Inadequate Release of Funds by Governments and Misuse of Sanitation Funds With the problems of inadequate release of funds by Governments and low investment in sanitation delivery in Ghana, the target by the SDG to halve the proportion of untreated wastewater and increase recycling also looks like a herculean task to achieve by Ghana. According to the MDGs-Ghana Report (2015), it was highlighted that one of the major challenges towards achieving improved sanitation in Ghana is inadequate release of funds by the Governments of Ghana as well as mismanagement of the little funds for purposes other than improving sanitation in Ghana. It was reported in the Water and Santitation Program -Africa Region, Report (2015) that the contribution of the Governments of Ghana towards investment in the Water and Sanitation Sector has been low from the time past hitherto. For example, since 2008, the Government of Ghana s commitment and spending on sanitation and hygiene has not exceeded 0.15 percent even though numerous promises were made at increasing the country s GDP expenditure

5 African Journal of Science and Research, 2016,(5)3: on sanitation to at least 0.50 percent (which is still even too small) after the adoption of the ethekwini commitment (Siita et al., 2012). From the data enumerated in Siita et al. (2012), every government in Africa including Ghana signed to at least achieve MDG target on sanitation by spending at least 0.9 percent of its GDP to achieve improved sanitation, according to Africa Infrastructure Country Diagnostic (AICD) but Ghana expended only 0.15 percent. In 2009, the Minister of Finance of Ghana assigned GHȼ 32 million to Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) for sanitation projects in the country, however, at the end of the year, only GHȼ 4 million had been paid to the agency for their sanitation projects (Siita et al., 2012). This represents only about 13 percent of the overall budget allocation to the sanitation sector for that year. Thus, the deficit of 87 percent of the money that was not paid to the Agency clearly implies that the CWSA could not also achieve 87 percent of the projects on sanitation they intended to achieve. To further worsen the funding problem on sanitation, mismanagement of the little money by some District Assemblies is a major bane. For example, some Districts use the money from the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) intended for sanitation for other purposes such as construction of Chief s palace e.g. West Akim Municipal Assembly or payment of salaries of District Assembly staff (Siita et al., 2012). In addition, most District Assemblies are unwilling to prioritize contributions towards water and sanitation projects by donors (Water and Santitation Program - Africa Region, 2015) and most Municipal, Metropolitan and District Assemblies (MMDAs) lack the needed experts who could organize and raise funds towards water and sanitation projects in Ghana. If these challenging situations continue to exist with Ghana s quest towards achieving the SDG 6, it is quite obvious how these challenges would militate against Ghana towards achieving the SDG 6 and its targets on sanitation. It is very important for Ghana as a country to learn from some of the Sub-Saharan African countries like Angola and Botswana that have made good strides towards achieving the MDG 7C on sanitation (USAID-Angola, 2010; WHO-UNICEF, 2014). Comparison of Ghana s effort on the MDG 7C with Angola According to WHO and UNICEF, report (2014) which assessed progress on sanitation dubbed 25 years progress on sanitation and drinking water: 2015 update and MDG assessment, by the UN member states, it came out that in the Sub-Sahara African countries, only Angola and Botswana were countries considered to have made good progress in terms of the ratings that were done. The question that therefore comes into mind is What were the measures that Angola, for example, put in place in order to achieve this feat considered to be good by UNICEF and WHO? This question will be juxtaposed to efforts made by Ghana on this same theme of achieving the MDG 7C on sanitation. Even though Angola is recovering from a protracted post-conflict period, its achievements on the MDG 7C on sanitation in Sub-Saharan Africa is unprecedented. According to a report by the USAID-Angola, (2010) and ISF Angola-WASH Sector Brief, (2011), the Government of Angola committed on serious capital investment in the area of expanding sanitation infrastructure and implemented much needed institutional reforms. There was decentralization of water and sanitation service delivery to provincial level to autonomously handle it. About 57 percent of the entire population in Angola have access to improved sanitation. Of this, 86 percent are found in urban areas while 18 percent is in rural areas (ISF Angola-WASH Sector Brief, 2011). A quick comparison between Ghana and Angola relating to efforts by these two countries to achieve MDG 7C is very paramount as the former can learn from the strategies put in place by the latter to score `good` in the WHO-UNICEF assessment. Table 2 below presents a detailed comparison between Ghana and Angola on MDG 7C on sanitation. CONCLUSION Even though Ghana made some efforts to achieve the MDG 7C on sanitation, it could not realize its set percentage target by even half (26% out of 54%). Many challenging factors hampered Ghana s efforts to achieving MDG 7C on sanitation. These include high population growth and low investment in sanitation infrastructure, rapid urbanisation and unplanned expansion of settlements, and high poverty and illiteracy levels. Others are unavailability of accurate and timely data on sanitation, inadequate release of funds by Governments and misuse of money intended for sanitation for other purposes and finally, weak environmental sanitation monitoring and enforcement systems. With the presence of these challenges Ghana s target of achieving the SDGs look more of a mirage than a reality. Ghana should take a clue from a Sub-Saharan African country like Angola which was able to make a good progress on the MDG 7C on sanitation according to WHO-UNICEF report for Thus, if Ghana could adopt the following solutions and remarks proposed in the next chapter by the authors in this paper, it would help improve upon its current sanitation situation and thus equip herself towards achieving the sustainable development goals. Solutions and Recommendations Firstly, the Government of Ghana should put in efforts to ensure equity in the distribution of the national resources in order to minimize rural-urban migration. Secondly, stringent rules and bye-laws should be implemented to ensure that new buildings or settlements are put up only in the designated places certified by the town and country planners in the MMDAs of Ghana. The existing bye-laws on sanitation should be strictly enforced by the District, Municipal and Metropolitan Chief Executives. Thirdly, there should be establishment of a national database on sanitation infrastructure and services that would help inform decisions and efforts by Governments towards sanitation for the present and future generations. Fourthly, Governments and MMDAs should have high commitments towards sanitation infrastructure delivery. For example, there should be construction and operation of wastewater treatment plants for all Districts, Municipalities and Metropolitan Areas of Ghana. Governments and MMDAs should also ensure that money allocated for sanitation projects have been used for that purpose only. This can only be possible if supervision and proper financial auditing and accountability are done. Fifthly, Government of Ghana can collaborate with Angola to learn from their strategies towards sanitation delivery. Lastly, the MMDAs should have close collaboration with the Universities, Research Institutes and other places of higher learning in Ghana to help them with research and policy directions towards achieving the goals and targets set for sanitation. References 1)Brigitte Baptiste, B. M.-L. (2015). Review of Targets for the Sustainable Development Goals: The Science Perspective. 2)Ghana Statistical Service. (2011). Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey Ghana Final Report. Ghana Statistical Service.

6 6 Bryant, I. M et.al 3)Ghana Statistical Service. (2013). Millennium Development Goals in Ghana. Population and Housing Census Report, )ICSU, I. C. for S. (2015). Sustainable Development Goals and targets. 5)ISF Angola-WASH Sector Brief. (2011). Angola Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Sector Brief, )MDGs-Ghana. (2015). Ghana MDGs Report. UNDP, (1), )Mensah, J., & Antwi, K. (2013). Bridging Water and Sanitation Infrastructure Gap in Ghana. Jsd-Africa.Com, 15(2), Retrieved from Summer2013A/PDF/Bridging Water and Sanitation Infrastructure.John Victor Mensah.pdf 8)National Population Council. (2014). Policy Brief, (Iv), 1 4. doi: / )Nsiah-Gyabaah, K. (2003). Urbanization, Environmental Degradation and Food Security in Africa. Open Meeting of The Global Environmental Change in Montreal, Canada, October, (October), )Obeng, P. A., & Keraita, B; Oduro-Kwarteng, S ; Bregnhoj, H; Abaidoo, R.C.; Awuah, E; Konradsen, F. (2015). Usage and Barriers to Use of Latrines in a Ghanaian Peri-Urban Community. Environmental. doi: /s z 10)Obuobie, E., Keraita, B., Danso, G., Amoah, P., Cofie, O. O., Raschid-Sally, L., & Drechsel, P. (2006). Irrigated urban vegetable production in Ghana : characteristics, benefits and risks. 11)Osborn, D., Cutter, A., & Ullah, F. (2015). Universal Sustainable Development Goals: Understanding the transformational challenge for developed countries, (May). Retrieved from 00&nr=1684&menu=35 12)Siita, H., Mills, J. E., Musah, I., Nashiru, a., & Watts, R. (2012). Financing of the water, sanitation and hygiene sector in Ghana, Table(2) Comparison of efforts by Ghana and Angola on MDG 7C on sanitation Ghana Low investment in sanitation infrastructure delivery 13)Songsore, J. (2009). The Urban Transition in Ghana: Urbanization, National Development and Poverty Reduction. Africa, 26. Retrieved from 14)Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN). (2015). Indicators and a monitoring framework for Sustainable Development Goals - Launching a data revolution for the SDGs, (July). 15)UN-HABITAT. (2003). The Challenge of Slums - Global Report on Human Settlements. London Earthscan. doi: 16)United Nations. (2014). Assessing progress in Africa toward the Millennium Development Goals. United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. doi:accessed 26 July )United Nations. (2015a). Sustainable Development Goals, 24. doi: /cbo )United Nations. (2015b). Taking Stock of the Global Partnership for Development. 19)United Nations. (2015c). The Millennium Development Goals Report. United Nations, 72. doi: )USAID-Angola. (2010). Angola: Water and Sanitation Profile, (March), 1 4. Retrieved from 21)Water and Sanitation Sector Performance Report. (2010). Water and Sanitation Sector Performance Report, )Water and Sanitation Sector Performance Report, (2009). Case Study: Financing of the water, sanitation and hygiene sector in Ghana by WaterAid and Development Finance International (DFI). Accessed on 30th December, 2015; 13:22 hrs. 23)Water and Santitation Program -Africa Region, W. B. (2015). Water Supply and Sanitation in Ghana. 24)WHO-UNICEF. (2014). Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation-2014 Update. Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation, Angola Serious capital investment in the area of expanding sanitation infrastructure Developed a clear policy for increasing access among peri-urban and low income communities in cities, e.g NESSAP, Implemented much needed institutional reforms in 2003 such as the 2003 Water Strategy Strengthened institutional capacity for the management of sewerage treatment system since MMDAs as currently structured and staffed cannot do this. Decentralization of WSS service delivery to autonomous/commercial provincial water and sanitation utilities (PWSUs) level. Limited donors - DANIDA, UNICEF, Dutch Government US Government and the Wide range of donors-world Bank, AfDB, European Union, UNICEF, and the governments of China, Brazil, Spain, and Portugal Target of 26% out of 54% set Target of 57% out of 66% set Develop innovative approaches to urban sanitation, including microfinance schemes, to support building of household sanitation facilities. Targets to achieve operation and maintenance cost recovery within one to two years-full cost recovery Sources: Mensah & Antwi (2013); Siita et al. (2012); USAID-Angola (2010); WHO-UNICEF (2014).