Ghana loses over GH¢6.2bn annually to poor sanitation – ISSER

Ghana is losing more than GH¢6.2 billion every year through healthcare costs and lost productivity associated with poor waste management and sanitation.

This is according to a policy brief by the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) of the University of Ghana, which is calling for urgent government investment in sanitation and waste management.

According to ISSER’s February 2026 policy brief, all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) collectively spent approximately GH¢180.2 million on waste management and sanitation, compared with more than GH¢6.2 billion in annual health and productivity losses linked to inadequate sanitation.

The researchers describe the situation as an unsustainable imbalance, with the country spending significantly more to deal with the consequences of poor sanitation than to prevent them.

The study estimates that Ghana suffers approximately GH¢5.58 billion in direct medical expenses and a further GH¢650 million in lost productivity every year because of poor waste management.

The resulting burden includes preventable diseases such as malaria, cholera and typhoid.

ISSER estimates that sanitation-related illnesses account for 31.9 million lost work and school days annually, while contributing to an estimated 107,222 premature deaths every year.

Sanitation as an economic investment

ISSER argues that sanitation should no longer be viewed only as a social or environmental responsibility but as a strategic economic investment.

The researchers say the cost of failing to invest in proper sanitation is substantially higher than the resources required to address the problem.

They point to rapid urbanisation, population growth and changing consumption patterns as factors generating increasing volumes of solid and liquid waste, placing pressure on the capacity of many MMDAs.

The consequences, according to the researchers, extend beyond dirty streets and overflowing waste sites to public health, productivity and broader economic development.

Government urged to increase investment

ISSER is recommending a significant increase in public investment in sanitation, drainage and environmental health.

The researchers want government to prioritise interventions with the highest health returns, including safe faecal sludge management and the elimination of open refuse dumps that contribute to the spread of disease.

They also recommend directing capital investment towards high-risk urban and peri-urban communities, particularly densely populated slums, flood-prone neighbourhoods and underserved areas.

According to ISSER, targeted interventions could help reduce disease incidence and mortality while addressing the disproportionate sanitation burden faced by vulnerable communities.

Financing gap

The report also highlights a significant financing gap in Ghana’s waste management sector.

The study estimates current average investment in waste management at only GH¢38.78 per tonne of waste.

ISSER compares this with GH¢1,028 per tonne, which it uses as an average investment benchmark for lower-middle-income countries in its best-case scenario.

The researchers argue that Ghana cannot continue to treat sanitation expenditure as a discretionary cost.

Instead, they want sanitation to be incorporated into national economic planning as an investment capable of generating significant health and economic returns.

The report specifically recommends that the health and economic benefits of improved sanitation be reflected in government budgeting and medium-term expenditure frameworks.

ISSER is therefore calling for Ghana to scale up investment in sanitation and drainage systems, prioritise high-risk communities and improve waste-management investment.

The researchers maintain that greater investment in sanitation could help reduce the billions of cedis the country currently loses through preventable diseases, healthcare costs and lost productivity.