In early 2017, WSUP commissioned a situation analysis of urban sanitation services in Bangladesh, Ghana and Kenya, in order to identify potential research areas as part of the DFID-funded Urban Sanitation Research Initiative. Here, Goufrane Mansour (Aguaconsult, lead expert for the study) and Sam Drabble (WSUP, Research and Evaluation Manager) reflect on common findings across the three countries.

Looking at the scale of the needs and the constraints of urban settings, achieving universal access to basic sanitation by 2030 – let alone increasing access to safely managed services – seems overly optimistic. Unless certain basic requirements fall into place quickly, some countries will find themselves still trailing behind. The scoping studies commissioned by WSUP have highlighted a number of gaps related to the policy environment as well as institutional and financing arrangements for the urban sanitation sector, which need to be addressed if fast-track progress towards the SDG is to be achieved.