Building sustainable rural water services in Ghana: practical roadmap from the R-WUP study

Published on: 17/02/2026

IRC Ghana, together with its partners and with support from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, has published a new study, Rural Water "Utilitisation" Project (R‑WUP), Ghana: Study on formalising relationships between CWSA, private operators, WSMTs and other actors, providing a pathway to professionalise rural and small‑town water services and turn investments into services that last.

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Linda Dedoo, Extension Services Specialist, CWSA Western Region (photo by IRC Ghana)

The challenge

Ghana’s rural water landscape is shifting. The Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) is transitioning from a facilitation role to operating as a rural utility across more than 200 small towns, while a wide array of other providers – Water and Sanitation Management Teams (WSMTs), NGOs and Small Water Enterprises (SWEs) – continue to deliver services, often outside comprehensive regulation. This complex mix demands clarified mandates, stronger regulation, and practical coordination so that systems are reliable, affordable and financially sustainable. This report clarifies those contours and proposes actionable next steps.

What the report covers

The study synthesises policy, field evidence and stakeholder perspectives to:

• Clarify legal and governance gaps affecting CWSA’s transition (e.g., asset ownership, service‑area demarcation, tariff oversight).
• Pinpoint operational priorities (reduce non‑revenue water (NRW), improve energy efficiency, digitise asset and commercial systems, and strengthen customer service).
• Propose workable options – three scenarios – to move from intention to implementation, with milestones for legislation, regulation, performance management and service‑area planning.
  
  

Read the full report here

Key findings

• Legal clarity first: Current policy signals CWSA’s utility role, but enabling legislation lags. Updating Acts and instruments is essential for asset ownership, revenue rights and accountability.
• Regulate for results: Rural services lack a complete, enforceable framework. Extending the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission's (PURC) remit (with the right legal basis) to tariffs, licensing and performance in rural and small‑town areas would close critical gaps.
• Make systems perform: Targeted performance improvements – NRW reduction, energy efficiency, e‑payments, asset mapping – can stabilise finances and reliability, building confidence for further investment.
• Harness provider diversity: Private and NGO operators bring innovation (solar, prepaid/smart metering, clustered operations). Clear rules, fair tariffs and defined service areas enable scale while protecting consumers.
• Keep equity central: Cross‑subsidies, targeted public finance and equity indicators are needed so last‑mile, hard‑to‑reach communities are not left behind.

The way forward (three scenarios)

1. Business as usual - improved: Strengthen short‑term KPIs, restructuring and technical support while operating under existing protocols. Useful as a transition step.
2. Legal and governance reform for CWSA: Establish CWSA formally as a utility; extend PURC regulation; demarcate service areas; set utility turnaround KPIs; codify MMDA–CWSA roles.
3. Sector‑wide reform: Introduce a Water Supply Services Act to recognise and license all providers, regulate tariffs and performance, and demarcate service areas across public, NGO and private actors — unlocking aggregation, economies of scale and robust consumer protection.
   
   

What stakeholders can do

• Back the legal and regulatory upgrades and resource PURC’s expanded role.
• Finance performance turnarounds (NRW, energy, digital commercial systems) with equity safeguards.
• Enable diverse provider models via licensing, aggregation and clear service‑area rules; scale proven technologies that reduce operating costs.
• Balance affordability and sustainability through lifeline blocks, targeted subsidies and cost‑reflective tariffs.
• Invest in capacity, behaviour change and learning to keep systems functional and accountable over time.
  
  

Conclusion

“Transforming rural water services from fragmented provision to reliable, professional and equitable systems requires shared systems leadership. We call on government, regulators, civil society, private providers and funders to use this study as a shared framework for action – aligning policy, finance and delivery to turn investments into services that last.”

— Vida Duti, IRC Ghana Country Director

Read the full report here