More communities have attained open-defecation-free status - Minister for sanitation

Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, has stated that the ministry’s efforts in fighting open defecation across the country has yielded positive results. According to the minister, the Sustainable Rural Water and Sanitation project has provided targeted communities with 12,972 household toilets.

The project, among other interventions she explained, has aided various communities to attain open-defecation-free status.

In 2015, Ghana was ranked second by WASH after Sudan in Africa for open defecation. Most households were identified without a proper toilet facility. Failure on the part of landlords to construct houses without washrooms, among other factors have facilitated the practice of open defecation.

Sanitation minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, announced at a Press Briefing on Tuesday, December 3, 2019, that the country’s vision of attaining an open-defecation-free status was on good course. The ministry, while addressing the press, stated the achievements by the Ministry of Sanitation.

“The ministry through the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) Sanitation and Water project has also within the project period constructed 26,000 household toilets benefitting about 180,000 low income communities. Under the same project, 260 beneficiary schools have been provided with toilet facilities to benefit 200,000 school children,” the minister stated.

According to Cecilia Dapaah, during her 3-month-tour in Accra and some parts of the country, she observed that the issue of water, sanitation and hygiene was still a major challenge. She called for the attitudinal change among sanitation offenders adding that the National Sanitation laws will prosecute persons who breech sanitation laws.

“The ministry has initiated the process of putting together a comprehensive consolidated National Sanitation laws. It will also serve as the primary reference document for the preparation of local bye-laws as well as enhancing successful prosecution of sanitation offenders”.



In spite of all the challenges facing the sanitation ministry, Cecilia Dapaah, mentioned that the sanitation condition in the country has improved. She called on the support of local government and stakeholders to join the fight in ensuring that Accra becomes the cleanest city in West Africa.