Sustainable water resource management in Ghana: evidence on the determinants of renewable freshwater resources

Purpose Although Ghana is not classified as a water-scarce economy, its renewable freshwater resources per capita have declined over the years, raising concerns about long-term water security. This study examines the climatic-, technological-, economic- and urbanization-related determinants of renewable internal freshwater resources in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach Annual World Bank data spanning 1971–2023 were analysed using Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) and Canonical Cointegrating Regression (CCR) techniques to estimate long-run determinants of renewable freshwater resources. Findings Precipitation, water productivity, natural resources and manufacturing growth are positively associated with renewable freshwater resources, while agricultural growth and temperature have negative effects. A 1% increase in these variables is associated with changes of 0.001%, 0.457%, 0.015%, 0.016%, −0.011% and −0.088%, respectively. Economic growth and urbanization exhibit positive coefficients, while their squared terms are negative, indicating non-linear relationships with renewable freshwater resources. However, their estimated turning points are below the observed sample range. Furthermore, marginal effects evaluated at the minimum, mean and maximum levels are negative, indicating that economic growth and urbanization reduce renewable freshwater resources across the observed range. Practical implications The findings hold important implications for water governance in Ghana and the attainment of SDG 6. The findings call for the promotion of farming practices that reduce unnecessary water losses through measures including the provision of subsidies to farmers to adopt water-efficient technologies; economic and urban growth strategies should be accompanied by measures that enhance land-use management and strengthen the protection of groundwater; and devoting portion of the earnings from natural resources to promote the sustainability of water resources. Originality/value This study adds to the existing Ghanaian and broader African literature regarding renewable freshwater resources. Theoretically, it advances understanding of renewable internal freshwater resources by linking them with socioeconomic, environmental, agricultural and technological factors. It also provides empirical evidence on the long-run determinants of freshwater availability by addressing a gap in literature that has focused predominantly on water demand and quality through the methodological application of a dynamic time-series framework to capture relationships between variables. The findings provide policy-relevant evidence for climate-resilient water governance and support Ghana's progress towards SDG 6, while offering insights relevant to other Sub-Saharan African countries facing comparable issues of threats to renewable freshwater security.