Comparative Analysis of WASH Services between the Rich and Poor in Sub-Saharan Africa

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 would mean that all people the world over would have access to basic drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services. This study analyzed WASH services between the poorest and richest quintile in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The descriptive cross sectional design was adopted. Data for the study were extracted from the 2019 Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) report, which contained disaggregated data on wealth quintiles. The data obtained were analyzed with tables, percentages and t-test. The findings revealed that WASH amenities in SSA were generally poor, especially with the poorest quintile, which was disproportionately disadvantaged. The t-test indicated a significant difference in the provision of WASH services between both quintiles in SSA, as the calculated t-test values for water and sanitation services of 18.772 and 15.317, respectively were higher than the table value of 2.021 at an alpha level of 0.05; while the calculated t-test value (10) for hygiene services was higher than the table value of 2.042 at 0.05 alpha level. Considering the state of WASH facilities, SSA would miss the SDG 6, unless concerted efforts are made to address the myriad of challenges confronting the provisions of WASH services in SSA. The study therefore made recommendations to address the challenges.