What has poverty got to do with it? Analysis of household access to improved sanitation in Ghana

This paper investigates antecedents to demand for household sanitation in Ghana. We employed a sequential, mixed-method approach, relying on the 2011 Ghana Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) and primary qualitative data generated from individual and group interviews. The aim was to ascertain the role of household assets (measured by household wealth) in access to improved sanitation in Ghana. The study found that although wealth positively influenced household ownership of improved sanitation, the effect is strongly noticed only at the pinnacle of wealth quintiles (the richest households). From the qualitative data, we find that, beyond poverty, a mix of cultural, social, political and economic nuances influenced and somehow perpetuate low access to improved sanitation in Ghanaian households. We therefore surmise that means targeting of the poor and application of social marketing of sanitation in both rural and urban areas can help trigger awareness and demand for improved sanitation in Ghana.