Water BOOST Enabling Innovation for Future Ready Cities 2025

Accra spotlight: Pure Home Water and the role of NGOs in scaling decentralized innovation BOX 4 Accra’s water innovation landscape is shaped by grassroots solutions and strong NGO involvement. Pure Home Water (PHW), a Ghanaian social enterprise, produces AfriClay ceramic water filters made from local clay and rice husks, designed to remove bacteria and reduce waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea. Originally developed in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)’s D-Lab, these filters offer an affordable, locally appropriate solution for household water treatment. Beyond improving access to clean water, the AfriClay filter also seeks to reduce plastic waste by offering an alternative to sachet and PET bottled water. To complement this, PHW has launched CREATE Stations, community hubs designed to raise awareness about circular economy practices and plastic recycling. Since its founding in 2005, PHW has reached more than 800,000 people across Ghana, combining public health impact with environmental sustainability. NGOs and international partners are instrumental in scaling these types of decentralized solutions. WaterAid Ghana, UNICEF and CONIWAS act as key enabling actors – supporting solar- powered boreholes, prepaid water systems and professionalized rural water delivery. These organizations help fill critical gaps in financing, technical capacity and community engagement. In Accra, this model of decentralized, NGO- enabled innovation is not peripheral – it is central. By anchoring water solutions in public health, international collaboration and local ownership, these stakeholders are creating a distinct and impactful pathway for scaling water innovation in low-resource contexts. Image credit: Wateroam Water-BOOST: Enabling Innovation for Future-Ready Cities 29