A new two-year project has started in the West Mamprusi Municipality of Ghana’s North East Region to improve water, sanitation, hygiene, and livelihoods in 100 communities. The initiative, called Ting Labginsim, means “Advancing Community Agency and Government Accountability for WASH and Livelihood Improvement.” It is a partnership between Advocates for Community Alternatives (ACA), Spark MicroGrants, Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP), and the West Mamprusi Municipal Assembly.
Each participating community will receive a microgrant of US$8,000, totalling US$800,000. The Municipal Assembly will add US$400 per community, contributing US$40,000 in total. This local funding is meant to boost community ownership and help link local priorities to the municipality’s wider development plans.
Nana Ama Nketia-Quaidoo, ACA’s Director of Community-Driven Development, said the project is based on the idea that communities know their problems best and can solve many of them if given the right information, guidance, and resources. “We do not come to communities saying: ‘We know what you need.’ Instead, we ask: ‘What is important to you? What do you want to change? What can you do together, and how can we support you to achieve it?’” she said at the launch in Walewale.
The project will use ACA’s Facilitated Collective Action Process (FCAP), a method that helps residents identify their needs and come up with solutions together. This will happen in three phases: community building and visioning; implementation and advocacy; and post-implementation.
The approach is not new for ACA. Nana Ama said FCAP has already led to projects in 107 communities across Fanteakwa South, Nkoranza South, Abuakwa South, and Atiwa West. These projects included clinics, schools, laboratories, markets, boreholes, poultry and palm-oil processing centres, milling and soap-making facilities, teachers’ and nurses’ bungalows, and community centres.
Besides financial support, the project expects communities to contribute their ideas, time, labour, and local resources. The Municipal Assembly will offer technical assistance, monitor progress, coordinate efforts, and link community priorities with municipal development planning. The Assembly will also provide weekly supervision and technical guidance through relevant departments.
The project is overseen by a steering committee chaired by the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mohammed Rabiu Jabaah. The committee includes representatives from all partners and meets quarterly to track progress and solve problems.
MCE Jabaah emphasised that the project must belong to the communities, not the Assembly or development partners. He called the initiative “a significant relief” for the Assembly and promised the municipality would “religiously” meet its responsibilities under the partnership.
Ann Squire, Ghana Country Director for Spark MicroGrants, said the project reflects their belief that those closest to a problem are best placed to solve it. She explained that Ting Labginsim aims to improve WASH services, support livelihoods, and deepen accountability between citizens and government. According to her, these goals connect because clean water, hygiene, decent livelihoods, and responsive governance all affect the dignity and wellbeing of families.
WSUP will offer technical expertise, especially where community needs overlap with WASH issues. The project also plans to include women, young people, persons with special abilities, and other groups often excluded from development talks, encouraging them to take part in planning and execution.
ACA said success will not only be measured by how many projects get done but also by whether communities keep meeting, planning, and working together after external support ends.
With work already underway, Ting Labginsim hopes to build stronger ties between citizens and local government while supporting community-led development across West Mamprusi.
According to Joy Online.
