2024 World Toilet Day marked in Obuasi

Clean Team Ghana has partnered with the Obuasi East and Obuasi Municipal Assemblies to mark the 2024 World Toilet Day in Obuasi. The program was held under the theme: “Sanitation for Peace.”

World Toilet Day, celebrated annually on November 19, aims to inspire action to tackle the global sanitation crisis and address the needs of the 3.5 billion people still living without safely managed sanitation. This year’s celebration focused on raising awareness about this global issue and advocating for the universal human right to hygienic and dignified sanitation services, including access to toilets.

Addressing participants, the CEO of Clean Team Ghana Limited, Abigail Aruna, emphasized the significance of sanitation and hygiene in our lives and communities. She stated that accessing safe and dignified sanitation is not just a basic human right but also a foundation for harmony within families, communities, and even nations.

“Good sanitation improves the health and well-being of families, promotes dignity and equality, fosters economic prosperity, and protects the environment,” she said.

Ms. Aruna expressed pride in her company’s contributions to improving sanitation:

“We at Clean Team Ghana provide affordable and sustainable sanitation services to households, ensuring that people, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas, have access to clean and dignified toilets.”

She called on governments, private sector players, and international partners to prioritize investments in sanitation infrastructure, highlighting the economic, social, and environmental benefits of such investments.

The Municipal Environmental Officer for Obuasi West, Fuseina Imoro, acknowledged the critical role of toilets in maintaining a healthy environment and promoting sustainable development. She revealed that, according to the 2021 Population and Housing Census, 13,300 households in the area lack their own toilet facilities, forcing many to resort to open defecation, which leads to water pollution, soil contamination, and disease outbreaks.

Ms. Imoro advised residents without toilet facilities to contact Clean Team Ghana Limited for affordable options.

Highlighting institutional investments in sanitation in Obuasi, Daniel Arthur Bentum, Economic Development Officer of AngloGold Ashanti (AGA) Obuasi Mine, shared that, as part of the company’s 10-year Socio-Economic Development Plan, two toilet facilities have been constructed at Anyimadukrom and Anhwiam to serve the people in those communities.

On sanitation initiatives, he added that AGA, through its Keep Obuasi Clean Campaign, has distributed over 20 skip bucket containers over the past three years in Adansi to improve waste management. Additionally, the company has made five mechanized boreholes available to communities, with three more projects ongoing.

“AngloGold Ashanti’s commitment to sanitation is evident through these initiatives,” he stated.

About Clean Team Ghana

Clean Team Ghana is a social service company delivering vital in-home sanitation to low-income residents of Kumasi and Obuasi. The company provides improved sanitation, convenience, and dignity, while offering cost savings to underserved communities. Their services include container-based sanitation, bio-digester toilets, and waste processing.