The water and sanitation sector of Ghana – what is missing from a governance perspective?

ABSTRACT The image compares the current and proposed future of water governance in Ghana. On the left, the current state highlights four challenges: fragmented institutions, political interference, weak accountability, and fiscal constraints. These issues result in a gap in achieving SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation). In the center, arrows show pathways for change: institutional realignment and empowerment, robust coordination, and justice-oriented accountability. On the right, the future state shows improvements: aligned institutional roles, coordinated governance, stronger capacity and accountability, and a better regulatory and fiscal system. These lead to progress toward SDG 6. Effective water and sanitation governance remains a global challenge, particularly where institutional fragmentation, fiscal constraints, and inequities undermine service delivery. We apply the Governance Network Theory and Environmental Justice Theory to examine these dynamics in Ghana. Drawing on policy analysis, institutional mapping, and stakeholder interviews, the findings highlight overlapping mandates, irregular transfers, political interference, and weak accountability as persistent barriers. Local governments also face resource and capacity deficits, while non-state actors fill gaps with mixed consequences. We propose a theoretically grounded framework centered on institutional realignment, robust coordination, and justice-oriented accountability as pathways to improve governance with positive implications for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 in Ghana and beyond.