Canada/UNICEF presents 38 computers to monitor sanitation

The Canadian government in collaboration with UNICEF on Friday presented 38 computers, printers, scanners and accessories to the government of Ghana to strengthen sanitation monitoring and data collection in 38 districts in the country.

The computers form part of a nine million dollar three year sanitation programme, the Ghana-UNICEF Water Sanitation and Hygiene programme (WASH) started in 2012 in Ghana.

Mr Daniel Arsenaul, Deputy Director of Development at the Canadian High Commission and Mr David Duncan, Chief of WASH handed over the items after a training and logistic support workshop for officials from the districts in Accra.

Mr Arsenaul expressed the hope that the computers would help reduce sanitation problems and safe lives of mothers and children in Ghana, adding that, Canada is providing 60 million dollars to Ghana for water, food security and sanitation.

Mr Duncan said the project has contributed immensely to the current achievement of over 600,000 people living in open defecation free communities, as recently announced by the environmental health and sanitation directorate of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural development.

He said until recently very minimal monitoring systems were available to determine such important data.

He said partnership between UNICEF and Canada has resulted in the development of a programme dubbed; Basic Sanitation Information System (BaSIS) to make it possible for all stakeholders to access credible and transparent information on basic sanitation activities in the district.

The BaSIS is a district -based management information system, which allows a district to input and share programmes on basic sanitation activities such as community led total sanitation and sanitation marketing.

A visit to www. Sanitationinghana.org/BaSIS would provide information on the level of sanitation in Ghana

Mr Francis Kweku Abotsi, Volta Regional Environmental Health Officer, who received the items on behalf of the Minister of Local government said BaSIS has made it possible for data to be captured from start to final result and expressed the hope that the various district assemblies would manage the computers well.

He said due to the open defecation free adopted by the Volta region, the region has recorded a reduced number of cholera cases, and urged the other regions to do well to keep their environment clean.