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Tamale, Ghana – The Development Officer at the Consulate General of Canada in Ghana, Eric Chimsi, has noted that there had been an intense funding and intense activity in the sanitation sector in the three regions of the North but said survey results always keep them at the bottom.
He said in the perspective of the donor (Canadian government), matching results with investment was very important, and asked whether the right programmes were being rolled out by the implementing partners such as the district assemblies.
“Honourable Minister (referring to the Northern Regional Minister), we’re very worried. Because at the moment, while some nations are racing for the stars, we’re still projecting ODF tables. “It’s unfortunate that so much is being sunk in this area while healthcare, education and other social development issues are lying down waiting”.
Mr Chimsi who made these statements at an event to launch the 2017 Open Defecation Free league ranking in Tamale, urged all partners at the local level to work hard to attain the set targets in their respective districts.
“We would want to find a concrete solution so that on the donor table we will have something more for our national development especially with our current shift to Ghana beyond aid, we need to fix things right”, he indicated
Ghana is ranked second in Africa in open defecation after Sudan with 19 percent of its population resorting to sanitation practices considered the worst of all.
The Northern Region is also last but second second in the practice of open defecation in the whole country. Only 5 percent out of the total population also have toilet facilities in their homes whereas 13 percent are committed comment to the success of such friends.
The Northern Regional Minister, Salifu Saeed, appealed to development partners to consider the provision of sanitary facilities for schools, market centres and hospitals.
*We are aware that government, MMDAs and donors should not subsidise house toilets, we should not also build communal toilets for communities.
“We are however encouraging our MMDCEs, our donor partners and other philanthropic organisations to support our schools, market centres, clinics and health centres with adequate institutional toilets to support our regional ODF agenda” Mr Saeed said.
The Minister also indicated that, “the absence of improved sanitation results into loss of lives”, and urged all metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies in the region to consciously see what they could do to ensure that their districts were open defecation free.
Mr Salifu Saeed however observed that, the Northern Region was the hub of NGOs in the country and had a record of over 30 NGOs working in the areas of water, sanitation and hygiene.
“Despite all the efforts these various development partners and NGOs are putting in, it is still a challenge”, he stated
By Savannahnews
