The Ghana Water Forum (GWF) was born in 2009 out of the then Ghana Government/Development Partners Annual Review Conference. It was felt in 2008 that the GoG/DP Annual Review was too closed and that there was need to open up expand the scope for wider stakeholder participation.It was also discovered that the WASH sector lacked a national platform that combined performance review with learning and high level advocacy work. There was also a
felt need to link this annual platform with other African Regional Forums such as the Africa Water Week. The GWF was therefore established with the following key objectives:
- To create a platform for Ghana’s political leadership, water sector professionals, stakeholders and partners to discuss opportunities and challenges of achieving water security for Ghana’s socio-economic development;
- To take stock of the status of the achievements of the MDGs in Ghana, reviewing key achievements and challenges and propose strategies and actions for accelerating the achievement of the water and sanitation targets;
- To build consensus on water security and provide recommendations for consideration at the highest political level;
- To formulate concrete policies, strategies and actions to accelerate water resources development and the provision of services;
- To provide a platform for exchange of Water and Sanitation Sector knowledge and information;
- To serve as a forerunner to the Africa Water Week, where proceedings from the GWF would be presented.
The GWF series follow a regular format: Plenary Discussions where the core WASH sector Agencies and CSO make presentations on their performance during the year and Thematic discussions where presentations on several themes and topics are made and discussed in parallel sessions. There are also four major side events:
- A Ministerial and Development Partners Roundtable: which brings together the Ministers of Water Resources, Local Government, Finance, Health, Agriculture and Energy and Ambassadors and Country Representatives of Development Partners to deliberate on key issues and make commitments on the way forward.
- A Business Roundtable: which brings together corporate Ghana to discuss their contribution to the country’s water and sanitation delivery, in the context of the business opportunities available and in the context of their corporate social responsibility;
- A Youth and Children’s Forum, which is usually organized by the youth of Ghana with the support of NGOs and youth organizations. Its main purpose is to allow young people to define what they consider to be the key issues in water resources management and also to deepen their understanding of water and sanitation issues.
- An Exhibition of Water, Sanitation and hygiene education intiatives and innovations including tecnology and sofware approaches.
