Barriers to water, sanitation, and hygiene in Sub-Saharan Africa: a mini review

Abstract

ABSTRACT Inadequate access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) is a worldwide issue which affects many developing countries. The establishment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) intends to address the need for additional provision of WASH. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has one of the lowest levels of access to water and sanitation. Certain inequalities exist between regions as well as between rural and urban populations. This paper reviews the literature on the barriers of WASH in SSA. The barriers are categorized as follows: institutional, economic, political, and geographical. Subsequently, this review examines the coverage of WASH services in SSA during the era of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and under the current SDG period attempting to illustrate its progress in reaching SDG 6 targets. The findings of this paper are as follows: the region needs to make accelerated progress in meeting the targets, and there are also ongoing disparities between urban and rural populations. Recommendations are also provided which include the national development agenda to prioritize WASH, establishing a clear institutional framework for WASH, and increasing WASH finance.