Government provides more toilets for citizens

The Greater Accra Metropolitan Area Sanitation and Water Project (GAMA-SWP) that started in August 2015 has provided a total of 19,917 household toilets benefitting 159,336 low income target population.

The project, has thus exceeded the target population by 44,336 representing 8,800 households, 13 clear months before the end of its duration in May 2020.

Additionally, a total of 406 School Sanitation facilities, including; girls changing rooms were targeted under the project, out of which, 251 were completed and handed over to the beneficiary schools as of now, Ms Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources announced on Tuesday.

Addressing the meet-the-press series in Accra, the Minister said the remaining 155 school sanitation facilities were 92 per cent completed, while the 406 facilities were expected to serve a total of 163,000 school pupils.

The GAMA-SWP was established in partnership with the World Bank, with the key objectives of increasing access to improved sanitation and water supply to low income beneficiaries in the GAMA and improve the planning and management of environmental sanitation.

Ms Dapaah said another significant achievement under the GAMA Project was the improvement in drainage at the Mallam Junction, which significantly reduced the perennial flooding that had bedevilled the area since time immemorial.

The project intervention involved the construction of box culvert across the Kaneshie-Kasoa section of the road.

A similar intervention was also on-going at the Kaneshie First-Light, where it is about 70 per cent complete, which was expected to reduce the incidence of flooding, the Minister said.

She stated that, currently on-going was the preparation of an Integrated Urban Environmental Sanitation Masterplan for the GAMA, which, would provide strategic direction for managing solid waste, liquid waste and drainage for the short, medium and long terms.



Under that project, the design of a 750 Cubic metre capacity Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant was completed for construction to commence soon at the Tema West Municipal Assembly.

She also announced that in response to the overwhelming sanitation challenges, Ghana had secured a loan facility from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to finance the implementation of the Greater Accra Sustainable Sanitation and Livelihoods Improvement Project (GASSLIP).

The project was part of the interventions by the sector to expand and build on the success of the previous African Development Bank-funded Accra Sewerage Improvement Project (ASIP) and the on-going World Bank funded, GAMA Project to deliver and manage climate resilient sanitation services within GAMA.

Ms Dapaah explained that the GASSLIP was designed to support Government’s efforts for the water and sanitation sector which was to “Increase access to adequate, safe and affordable water, improved environmental sanitation and hygiene education to ensure a favourable state of health of the general population”.

That would generally improve the living conditions of the low income and urban poor, she explained.

She said the Project, which, was launched in September 2018 had the full complement of project staff, and implementation was underway.

The GASSLIP project, therefore, seeks to ensure the construction of a number of critical infrastructure, including a Faecal Sludge Treatment facility, a Solid Waste infrastructure to support improved solid waste collection and disposal as well as provide improved solid waste collection systems in low income neighbourhoods.

It would also see to the construction of 7,000 household toilets, connect 500 houses to the existing sewerage system, strengthen the three Schools of Hygiene to fulfil their mandate, and also train 1,000 Artisans/Entrepreneurs in WASH sector to better deliver services and generate income.