This report, part of WSUP’s Urban Sanitation Research Initiative, explores the background to the urban sanitation sector in Ghana. Ghana is a fast-growing economy that has made notable progress in reducing poverty but urban infrastructure has not kept pace with cities’ expansion and high levels of rural-urban migration. Only a fraction of urban residents use improved sanitation facilities as per the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) definition, but transport and treatment services are developing.

Furthermore, well-developed legal, policy, and strategy frameworks exist but need to be fully implemented. It’s important to note that sanitation has not been a public funding priority and households bear the bulk of the costs. To conclude, from lack of prioritisation to insufficient demand and limited supply, barriers to developing pro-poor sanitation services remain significant.