Final Country Report for Ghana

Abstract

This report is the culmination of activities of the three phase DFID funded KaR study on the role of the small scale private sector in the rural water sector in Ghana. The report presents a summary of activities that were undertaken in Phases 1 and 2 and presents details on Phase 3 activities including the guidelines developed. The key elements of the guidelines include: the need to decentralise the process for the registration of businesses in Ghana so as to make it feasible for all small-scale operators to carry out their activities within the legal framework; training and regulation of sector players; adoption of flexibility in the implementation of the provisions of the Public Procurement Act to make room for the small scale private sector to obtain contracts and the extension of financial support to small-scale private operators by the rural banks under a special package under the aegis of the ARB Apex Bank. One of the lessons learned from the study are that the findings from a survey in only one region out of 10 regions in the country may not necessarily be representative of the situation countrywide, even though CWSA and WaterAid have validated the findings from their activities in the other nine regions. The other lesson learned is that the study has provided information to the key officials in the water sector on the virtual neglect of the small scale private sector in the formulation of policies and guidelines. Finally, the study has revealed that the formulation of guidelines is the preferred method to create an enabling environment for private sector participation in the rural water sector