Ten Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies (MMAs) in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area gathered to celebrate the results of 100-day action plans to improve sanitation in their respective assemblies.
Results include: 9 drains built; 6 beaches cleaned; behavior change in targeted communities; hygiene promotion in markets including awards for cleanest market stalls; micro-finance mechanism set up for families to build household toilets. These results deemed “impossible to achieve” just three months ago were made possible through a rapid-result approach supported by the World Bank GAMA Sanitation and Water Project for Ghana.
The Rapid Results Approach (RRA) is an increasingly popular method for improving performance within large organizations and multi-sectoral partnerships. It uses specially structured, 100-day goals to accelerate change and capacity development. Each 100-day Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) has been designed by a diverse team of “frontline workers” (Assembly personnel including environmental health officers, planning officers, public relations officers etc., representatives from civil society and other identifiable community organisations, community leaders, etc.).
The teams have been empowered by the Metropolitan/Municipal Chief Executives and Coordinating Directors to create, test and refine the policy and process innovations needed for them to achieve their 100-day goal. The ten 100-day efforts have been supported by four Rapid Results Coaches, individuals trained in the approach who guided the teams through the implementation process. The Collaborative Leadership for Development (CL4D) team of the World Bank provided technical support in preparing the teams and coaches for the RRIs.
The project includes 10 participating MMAs namely Tema Metropolitan Assembly, Adentan, Ashaiman, Ledzokuku-Krowor, Ga East, Ga West, Ga South, Ga Central, La Nkwantanang-Madina, and La Dade-Kotopon Municipal Assemblies.
During the workshop, the ten MMAs organized an exhibition of their achievements and the members of the RRI teams shared what they have learned through the behavioral change process: how to do things differently to get better results, Departments that were not working together are now working together, team members discovered that things could be achieved through teamwork, commitment, communication”.
The Metropolitan/Municipal Chief Executives and Coordinating Directors, senior leaders and RRI teams also discussed how to best sustain and scale-up the proven innovations and the improved patterns of collaboration. During the next two months, the RRI teams will document the improved procedures, change in process and share their experience so that all assemblies can benefit from the learnings.
A second RRI will be launched in January 2016 and it is expected that the activities will support greatly the implementation of GAMA Sanitation and Water project to improve access to sanitation for the targeted low income urban communities.
Background on Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) Sanitation and Water Project for Ghana
The GAMA Sanitation and Water Project for Ghana is World Bank grant of US$150 million to support the Government of Ghana’s efforts to increase access to improved sanitation and improved water supply in the GAMA, with emphasis on low income communities and to strengthen management of environmental sanitation in the GAMA. The project has four components. The first component is provision of environmental sanitation and water supply services to priority low income areas of the GAMA. The second component is improvement and expansion of the water distribution network in the GAMA. The third component is planning, improvement and expansion of GAMA-wide environmental sanitation services and the fourth component is the institutional strengthening of municipal, metropolitan and national institutions.