Like many cities in sub-Saharan Africa, Kumasi, Ghana is facing greater groundwater demands in part due to rapid urbanization. However, currently Ghana does not systematically monitor groundwater, which poses a challenge in management and implementation of science-based policy. Additionally, coordination among stakeholders in Ghana’s water sector has been described as inadequate by the National Water Policy which results in greater obstacles in water resource management. In order to simultaneously address these issues, value sensitive design is implemented to synergize diverse stakeholder perspectives to develop groundwater management and monitoring strategies. Value sensitive design provides a theoretical basis for explicitly incorporating values into innovations. In order to address the goal of the study, 46 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders in the Kumasi water sector were conducted as well as literature and policy reviews.
The first research question aims to identify key stakeholders and their role in groundwater management. The results identifed over 40 stakeholder groups in the Kumasi water sector. However, the most well-known groups are Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and the Water Resources Commission (WRC). In addition to these government organizations, technical experts, specifically affiliated with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), were cited as necessary to involve in the development of a groundwater monitoring technology.
The second research question seeks to identify practical considerations for groundwater monitoring. Here, there was a general negative view of groundwater management with challenges including limited regulation, lack of awareness for groundwater issues, and limited collaboration among groundwater stakeholders. To address these challenges, the most cited design requirement mentioned during the interviews was the need for mass education on water related concerns. Lastly, there were significant concerns among many of the interviewees about borehole drilling and the importance of informal communication between drillers and neighbors to ensure safe and sustainable access to groundwater.
The third research question uses value sensitive design protocols to create value profiles for each of the stakeholder groups. The values incorporated in this study are economic efficiency, environmental sustainability, safety, social equity, participation, reliability, and trust. Respondents were asked, through a token allocation activity, to indicate what values are important for groundwater monitoring. Although the value profiles between stakeholder groups were not statistically different, the anecdotal evidence from interviews suggests that participation is connected to other values. This indicates that participation contributes to achieving other values in the implementation of a groundwater monitoring program.
The last research question sought to identify communication tools to incorporate considerations derived from the research questions, case studies, Ghanaian water policy, and a theoretical framework based on participatory design. This resulted in the recommendation of three parallel strategies: a) multi-stakeholder involvement, b) technology development and c) a water education campaign. The programs are designed to operate in a cyclic manner based on a social learning model specific to water management. This will enable a groundwater monitoring technology to be developed (b) alongside a water education campaign (c) in the community where water will be monitored. Implementation of a multistakeholder advisory board to coordinate these efforts and facilitate collaboration will ensure a participatory process. The next steps are to disseminate findings to key stakeholders in the Ghana water sector and continuously adapt the action plans as new information is identified.