The Communication Initiative
Development action with informed and engaged societies
The Communication Initiative

After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. 

Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future. 

On the transfer, co-founder Victoria Martin expressed her pleasure to see this work continue under Wits' leadership, knowing that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction. 

As Wits, we honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades and look forward building from that strong base. This includes co-founders Warren Feek (1953-2024) and Victoria Martin as well as La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA), which continues independently at lainiciativadecomunicacion.com with links to The CI Global site. We are also eager to forge new partnerships and entertain new ideas as we consider how best to contribute to social and behaviour change in our rapidly evolving environment.

If you are joining the International Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Summit in Panama, please join Wits and CILA on Monday, 22 June, to share your thoughts and suggestion for the relaunch of the Communication Initiative. We will be in Pacifica 5 from 12-1:25 for the Refuel, Reflect, and Renew Lunch Series: The Communication Initiative: celebrating a driving force for Communication for Social Change and the way forward. We will reflect on the legacy of Warren Feek and family in creating the Communication Initiative, consider the contributions of CI over the years and then turn our attention towards the future in this dynamic session. 

If you are unable to join us in Panama, we still want to hear from you. Please contribute your thoughts by following this link: https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026 or reaching out to ci_surveys@commint.com. 

You can also follow the QR Code:

 https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026

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Water Privatisation in Ghana? An Analysis of Government and World Bank Policies

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Summary

- from the Introduction


"There is a long history of social struggle in Ghana, as in many other countries, around the principles of social equity, and the accountability and transparency of governments and international creditors. It is in this context that the current struggle around the issue of access to safe and affordable water should be viewed. The underlying cause of the conflict is the issue of affordability. Should water be available and affordable to all or affordable only to a few privileged households and businesses? Increasingly, clean water has become a commodity in Ghana - a commodity that too many people in urban and rural areas cannot regularly afford. Part I of this article is an analysis of the policies of the Government of Ghana and the World Bank in relation to issues of water access and water privatisation. The possiblity of options to privatisation of the urban water system in Ghana are explored. Part II is an interview with Rudolf Amenga-Etego, of the Integrated Social Development Centre in Ghana, who presents his views about the situation and sets forth the concerns of many citizens who seek access to safe and affordable water.


It appears that the Government of Ghana, with the backing of the World Bank, has concluded that privatisation of the urban water system is the appropriate policy option for the country. Unfortunately, there has not been broad-based, open public discussion among the government, citizens and donors about the full range of alternative water management options. In fact, there has been very little transparency or citizen involvement in Government or World Bank decisions related to the water privatisation process. Citizens are concerned that management decisions are driven more by economic considerations than by considerations related to issues such as social equity, public health, and environmental preservation. Concern is also growing as the news spreads about the negative impact of water privatisation in other countries."


Publisher: Integrated Social Development Centre and Globalization Challenge Initiative.

Contact: isodec@ghanacom, ramenga@isodec.org.gh OR global.challenge@juno.com

Globalization Challenge Initiative