Parliamentary Visit to Ghana

December 2022

In December, CGP took Mark Pawsey MP (CON), Matthew Offord MP (CON), Giles Watling MP (CON) and Paulette Hamilton MP (LAB) to see UK-funded water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) projects in Ghana, in partnership with WaterAid. The visit focused on the transformational impact that the provision of these facilities has had on communities across Ghana. According to WaterAid’s estimates, 3 billion days of increased school and work attendance – the equivalent of $420 billion – could be unlocked by increased WASH access.

The delegation visited the town of Wa in northern Ghana to meet with its regional minister and Chief to discuss the financing and governance of WASH projects in the region. They also visited healthcare facilities where they spoke with doctors and nurses about the challenges they face and how FCDO-funded projects, such as contactless handwashing stations, have equipped them to provide safer healthcare. Although these projects were funded in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the delegation saw how these investments have helped to bolster infection, prevention and control mechanisms more widely and prevent cross-infection among health workers and patients.

In Accra, the Ghanaian capital, the delegation visited a school where they spoke with teachers and students about the positive impact of the installation of toilets, particularly on facilitating girls to continue their education through menstruation. The MPs also met with UK representatives to Ghana to discuss the UK’s role in the region as well as the development challenges and opportunities of the future.