Ghana Launches Sanitation Campaign Strategy

The vice President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Alhaji Aliu Mahama yesterday, in Accra, launched the Ghana sanitation campaign and called on all stakeholders to see environmental sanitation as a key challenging issue which requires immediate attention. He said funding of sanitation services are generally capital intensive and therefore the responsibility must not be left to government or the Municipal and Metropolitan District Assemblies (MMDAs) alone. This was contain in an address read on his behalf, Alhaji Mahama noted that the Ministry of Local Government Rural Development and Environment (MLGRDE) which has the over sight responsibility has initiated a number of programmes which seek to reverse the downward trend in the sanitation situation in the country. These, he said, include strengthening the environmental health and sanitation unit at all levels which would include upgrading the unit at the ministry into a directorate, providing the required logistics such as transport and also increase the staff strength to reach out to all communities with education and enforcement of laws and regulations.

The Ministry would furthermore, increase involvement and support to the private sector as key partners in sanitation services delivery. This, he said, has featured prominently in the policy of the ministry on environmental sanitation. Some of the programmes the Vice President observed are revising the national environmental, sanitation policy which is at an advanced stage of completion. 'Increasing support to the MMDAs in the areas of equipment and finance to effectively deliver sanitation services'. He called on public and private sector players, development allies, traditional rulers and the civil society to see the current sanitation problem as a national issue and deal with it as such. The campaign is under the theme: 'Repackaging Sanitation for Accelerated National Development'.