WaterAid Ghana, a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) focused Non-Governmental Organisation, is working with stakeholders in the Upper East Region to ensure adequate budgetary allocations to WASH projects to ensure their sustainability.
Mr Gilbert Asante, the Programmes Officer in charge of Policy, Water Aid Ghana, at a workshop for the stakeholders in Bolgatanga, noted that some WASH projects had been on standstill in some districts due to limited budgetary allocations.
He said the assemblies and other stakeholders usually did not budget for operational costs and maintenance works to ensure sustainability in the total life cycle of projects.
The workshop, therefore, is to equip the participants with skills to make holistic budgetary allocations for projects, particularly water systems, to improve the availability of WASH services in health facilities.
Participants include coordinating directors, budget planning officers and analysts, works engineers, WASH focal persons, and health directors drawn from eight districts, who were trained in the Life Cycle Cost Approach (LCCA) on budgeting.
The LCCA is a comprehensive budgeting method that assesses the total cost of an asset or facility over its life cycle including planning, initial capital cost, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, operational, maintenance and future rehabilitation costs.
It was supported by Helmsley Charitable Trust, Global Affairs Canada, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Mr Asante said projects must be budgeted holistically, covering capital cost, capital maintenance cost, operational, and direct and indirect support costs, among others, to sustain the work and project lifespan.
He underscored the need for capacity building for budget officers and other stakeholders in WASH to be proactive in budgeting to cater for maintenance works of facilities when the need arose.
Mr Asante reiterated the commitment of WaterAid Ghana and its partners to help in strengthening the systems to enhance access to WASH services in healthcare facilities.
Mr Alexander Obuobisa-Darko, the WASH Specialist and facilitator, urged participants to adopt the LCCA to improve their work , especially in budget planning.
Mr Iddrisu Kelly, Development Planning Officer, Tempane District Assembly, said the workshop had exposed participants to technicalities that would aid their work.
“I think this workshop is worth it because it is so revealing and has opened our eyes as participants to a lot of things. this will help advance our work in terms of budget preparation for projects,” he said.
Mr Alhassan Ahmed, the District Coordinating Director, Bawku West, among the challenges the assemblies faced was costing of projects, explaining that only the initial costs of the projects were often considered.
That, he said, made it difficult for maintenance purposes due to lack of funds and gave the assurance that the situation would change.
The beneficiary districts include Kassena-Nankana and Builsa North Municipals, Bongo, Kassena-Nankana West, Bawku West, Tempane, Binduri and Garu districts.