By Solomon Gumah
Sagnarigu (N/R), June 24, GNA – The Northern Regional Programme Office of ActionAid Ghana has commemorated this year’s International Day of the African Child in the Sagnarigu Municipality of the Northern Region.
The celebration aimed at promoting the rights and welfare of children while intensifying efforts to improve access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities for children.
The event, organised in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES), Community Water and Sanitation Agency, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), and other partners, was held on the theme: “Ensuring Universal Access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Every Child in Ghana.”
It brought together officials from the Sagnarigu Municipal Assembly, GES, traditional authorities, development partners, teachers, pupils, parents and the media to deliberate on the importance of safe WASH services for children.
Activities marking the celebration included cultural displays, poetry recitals and drama performances by pupils, which highlighted the importance of good hygiene practices and the need to ensure universal access to WASH services for every child.
Madam Beatrice Biije, Northern Regional Programme Manager of ActionAid Ghana, said access to safe water, adequate sanitation and proper hygiene was a fundamental human right and essential for children’s survival, health, education and development.
She noted that despite progress made over the years, millions of children across Africa continued to face challenges in accessing clean water, safe sanitation and basic hygiene services.
Citing a joint report by UNICEF and the World Health Organisation, she said about 190 million African children lacked access to safe drinking water, 240 million lacked safely managed sanitation services, while 160 million lacked basic hygiene services.
Madam Biije added that approximately 1,000 children under five died daily in Africa from diarrhoea and related infections linked to unsafe water, poor sanitation and inadequate hygiene practices.
Focusing on Ghana, she said one in three households still lacked access to basic drinking water, while more than four million people practised open defecation, exposing children to serious health risks.
She stressed the need for urgent and deliberate interventions, stating that no child should be forced to choose between attending school and fetching water, or suffer illness due to unsafe drinking water.
She said ActionAid Ghana continued to prioritise WASH interventions in vulnerable communities and schools, adding that in 2025, the organisation supported seven schools in the Sagnarigu Municipality, Tamale Metropolis, and Nanumba North and South Districts with mechanised boreholes, four-chamber urinals and 4,000-litre water storage tanks.
Mr Abdulai Imoro Gong, Sagnarigu Municipal Chief Executive, described the theme for this year’s celebration as timely and relevant, noting that inadequate access to water and sanitation continued to affect children’s health, safety and education.
He said many children, particularly girls, spent valuable time fetching water instead of attending classes, which negatively affected their academic performance and personal development.
Mr Gong reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to collaborating with government agencies, development partners, traditional authorities and communities to improve access to potable water and sanitation facilities in the municipality.
Madam Stella Tonka, Headmistress of Sagnarigu Girls’ Model Junior High School, emphasised that access to clean water, proper sanitation and good hygiene practices was critical to children’s health, dignity and academic success.
She called for sustained stakeholder support to improve WASH facilities in schools and create a conducive learning environment for children.
The International Day of the African Child is observed annually in June to commemorate the 1976 Soweto Uprising in South Africa and to promote the rights and welfare of children across the continent.
GNA
Edited by Eric K Amoh/Lydia Kukua Asamoah
Reporter: Solomon Gumah
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