At the 2026 Beyond the Pipe Forum, organized by Safe Water Network in Accra on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗶, 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 (𝗘𝗪𝗳𝗘), delivered a compelling message to the water sector and the global donor community: nonprofits must form stronger alliances when applying for grants to scale lasting solutions.
Speaking on the topic “𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀,” Harrison drew on EWfE’s 10 years of experience working in last-mile communities to emphasize that, as the global donor landscape continues to shrink, financing challenges become even more critical for nonprofits seeking to scale up.
He noted that while partnerships with district assemblies have helped bridge part of the financing gap, more must be done, especially in operations and maintenance (O&M) and long-term sustainability. He also urged NGOs to move beyond siloed approaches and pursue grants through strategic alliances.
𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻’𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝘀:
🔹 Alliances strengthen collective impact by combining expertise and implementation capacity.
🔹 Collaboration builds donor confidence by demonstrating stronger credibility and shared accountability.
🔹 Partnerships improve efficiency by allowing organizations to share resources and solutions.
🔹 Financing remains a major challenge as safe water enterprises move from the pilot stage to expansion.
🔹 Water quality regulation remains a gap in the service delivery value chain and requires greater attention.
The forum, held under the theme “𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘁𝘀: 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁,” brought together sector leaders and practitioners to reflect on lessons related to performance, cost, coordination, and operational risk. For global donors seeking sustainable and scalable impact, Harrison’s message was clear: supporting collaboration among nonprofits is not optional. It is essential.
