Until June 2001 various NGOs in the water and sanitation sector in Ghana, had over the years contributed immensely to the sector. The number of such NGOs was large, their locations and approaches / strategies were virtually impossible to track. Their work and achievements were neither documented nor coordinated as complementary to national efforts. The absence of a clear mechanism for gathering and disseminating the growing experiences of NGOs made it difficult to use field lessons to influence the sector and advocate for social changes.

This situation among others stimulated the interest in forming the Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS).This move was to give the NGOs a unified voice, capable of mobilizing sector actors for actions that are non-confrontational but capable of resolving sector concerns. Giving the NGOs one voice for the advocacy and lobbying has been one major benefit to the coalition.
CONIWAS has its head office in Accra but as a body nationwide, CONIWAS also has coordinators for the Northern , Middle and Southern zones.

Our major partners include most of the donor agencies like Commonwealth Foundation, DANIDA, CIDA, European Union, WaterAid Ghana, UNICEF, The Royal Netherlands Embassy, World Bank, and EVORAP-GTZ among others.
CONIWAS works closely with the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, the Ministry of Local Government Rural Development and Environment, Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) and other key players in the water and sanitation sectors.

MISSION

Working in partnership with sector players to influence policies, remove barriers and promote access to portable water, sanitation and improved hygiene for the poor and vulnerable