By Benjamin Mensah, GNA
Accra, May 16, GNA – Madam Lydia Seyram Alhassan, the President’s Representative at the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, is rallying support from all stakeholders to invest massively in the provision of quality water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) to propel the nation’s rapid development.
“I call on all to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to prioritizing water and sanitation as the cornerstone of national development,” Madam Alhassan said.
She added: “These investments are not merely expenditure, but rather strategic investments in the well-being and prosperity of our society.”
Speaking as the Guest of Honour at opening of the 3rd Executive Breakfast Conversation, a multi stakeholder dialogue, in Accra, organised jointly by World Vision, a child focused Christian relief, development and advocacy organization, and some partners, the Representative, also the Minister Designate for the sector, noted the need for strong water, sanitation and hygiene activities in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and individual national progress and development.
The breakfast conversation, on the theme “Repositioning Water and Sanitation as Key Driver of National Development” discussed the enabling role of water, sanitation and hygiene for accelerated growth and wellbeing and why the country should prioritise and recognise it as national development priority.
The Sanitation and Water Minister Designate described water, sanitation and hygiene as dealmakers in national development, and called on stakeholders to identify the power investment in clean water, sanitation and hygiene education.
“As we stand at the threshold of progress, it’s imperative that we identify the transformative power of investing in clean water infrastructure, sanitation facilities and hygiene education,” Madam Alhassan said.
Dr Kodjo Mensah-Abrampah, Director General (DG) of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), who chaired the opening, said if the nation wanted to reach the target of being a developed nation by 2057, it should look at its development forecast holistically in terms of policies, institutional arrangement, capacity building, financing; and reporting for people to have a better appreciation of WASH for fuller participation.
Dr Mensah- Abrampah noted that only one percent of the national resources goes into WASH.
He noted that improvements had been made in the provision of water, but was challenged by quality.
Dr Mensah-Abrampah called for increased efforts to reduce plastic use as its improper management had choked the nation’s water bodies and further threatened the development of tourism.
“You’re in Ghana, and want to swim in the waters, see all these plastics”, the NDPC DG said and added, “you buy one key in Ghana, and they wrap it with four plastics.”
Madam Laura Cristina Del Valle, National Director, World Vision Ghana, said World Vision believed in a better world for children.
She gave an assurance that World Vision was committed to partnering state and non-state actors to co-create sustainable solutions to water and sanitation challenges.
“Nothing can be more important to child well-being… there’s a lot more government, development partners and all of us can do to facilitate sustainable access to safe water, improved sanitation and hygiene if we work together in the spirit of mutual co-operation,” Madam Del Val said.
Mr Harold Esseku, a civil engineer, and Senior WASH Specialist at the World Bank wondered why some workers did not have toilets in their homes and rather come early to workplaces to take advantage of the toilet facilities at the workplace.
He called for the strengthening of structures of WASH to make up for the excess pressures from increased population.
Participants at the dialogue were drawn from the Ministries, Department and Agencies, the Parliament of Ghana, the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, corporate Ghana, non-government and civil society organisations, the private sector, academic and research institutions, religious institutions and the media.
A brief synthesis report would be compiled and the end of the conversation and it would be shared with all relevant stakeholders, to be used for purposes of advocacy and policy influence.
GNA