By Dennis Peprah
Jirapa, (UWR), Nov. 1, GNA – About 815 communities in the Upper West Region have obtained Open Defecation Free (ODF) status, Dr Hafiz Bin Salih, the Upper West Regional Minister, has said.
Additionally, he said 24 other communities noted for OD now had the potential to attain ODF status.
Dr Salih said this when speaking at the opening session of the 34th Mole Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) conference, underway at Jirapa in the Region.
The CONIWAS, with support from its partners, is organizing the four-day conference on the theme: “Building Inclusive and Resilient Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Systems to Reach the Unserved”.
About 170 participants, comprising policy makers, government actors, practitioners, Members of Parliament (MPs) as well as Municipal and District Assemblies are attending the meeting.
The GAMA Sanitation and Water Project and World Vision Ghana are sponsoring some members of the Media Coalition against Open Defecation to participate in the conference.
Dr Salih attributed the achievements to the continuous support from CONIWAS and expressed the hope that the Coalition would continue to assist and help improve sanitation situation in the region.
On water provision, the Regional Minister said despite the 76 per cent water coverage, getting access to safe drinking water was still a challenge in many of the communities in the region.
Describing potable drinking water as a basic human need, Dr Salih said more support was required from CONIWAS and other development partners in providing water and WASH delivery services in the area.
Dr Freda Prempeh, the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, who opened the conference, emphasized that the Government was committed to the establishment of the National Water Policy.
“A memo was laid before cabinet for consideration, but unfortunately it was decided that the establishment be put on hold as a result of the International Monetary Fund negotiations that were ongoing and we will get the cabinet approval once the current economic hurdles have been cleared,” she stated.
The approval of the National Water Policy, Dr Prempeh said would enable the introduction of wider sector reforms for the water sub sector.
These reforms would find space in the development of the CWSA bill that would be developed for Cabinet and Parliament.
The Private Sector, Dr Prempeh, indicated, was a key stakeholder in the WASH Services delivery, and “they will play a critical role as we march on to provide WASH Services nationwide with our sole aim of meeting the SDGs come the year 2030”.
Ms. Beata Awinpoka Akanyani, the Chairman of CONIWAS, explained that the conference had witnessed consistent growth of interest and importance since its inception in 1989 among civil society, policy makers, local government and development partners alike.
In a brief history, she explained the Mole Conference was named after the Mole Game Reserve, near Damongo in the Savannah Region, and expressed appreciation to DANIDA and the World Bank, USAID and other development partners, both local and international, for their continuous support.
Among other objectives, the conference would also discuss how the implementation of resilient WASH systems will address access and equity, and how current service delivery models will impact Ghana’s pace towards achieving WASH for all.
GNA