Master planning on its way to regional, national and global scale
Published on: 12/03/2025
Since its launch in 2017, the Asutifi North Ahonidie Mpontuo (ANAM) initiative has helped achieve a 90% access rate to basic or safely managed water services, up from 82% in 2017, despite a 17% population increase. Thanks to the leadership of District Chief Executive, Hon. Anthony Mensah, this has spurred replication efforts across the Ahafo region, which will benefit 550,000 people in six districts. Three districts have finalised their WASH master plans, gearing up for action through strategic partnerships.
"We have used the planning from the water sector to showcase how planning can be done and how problems can be solved. And how the energy of communities can be sustained [and] to go beyond water to enter into other areas of development."
- Dr. Kodjo Esseim Mensah-Abrampa, Director General of the National Development Planning Commission.
A big highlight was contributing to a revised water policy for the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources. We are also collaborating with the NDPC to improve WASH planning in the next framework due in 2025, for the period 2026-29. This collaboration transcended to global level where we co-hosted events at the UN SDGs Summit, the UN High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development and of course our All Systems Connect International Symposium in the Netherlands.
At the UN SDG Summit "Ghana was asked to select five out of the seventeen goals and even five targets out of the 169. ... We used AI to do all the gymnastics and the arithmetic. Goal 6 was the most connected in terms of output and input for our whole development regime and particularly 6.1. and 6.2." Kodjo Esseim Mensah-Abrampa.
Moving from pilot to scale and institutionalisation remains challenging. However, The Asutifi North District Assembly continues to inspire other districts and contribute to advocacy and influence globally.
Ghana at a glancePercentage of the country population with at least basic services (JMP)*
88% water | 29% sanitation | 42% hygiene
Partner districts
The context of our work
Highlight publications and outputs from 2023
Find out more about our work in Ghana
At IRC we have strong opinions and we value honest and frank discussion, so you won't be surprised to hear that not all the opinions on this site represent our official policy.
This year Asutifi North received a special award for WASH (at the District League Table) and this was given to them by the King of Ashanti. Tears came into my eyes because I could turn my eyes back to 2017 and see what was happening there. And in 2023-2024 this has been acknowledged.
Dr. Kodjo Esseim Mensah-Abrampa, Director General, NPDC
