By Mildred Siabi-Mensah
Ada, Nov. 04, GNA – Madam Beata Awinpoka Akanyani, Chairperson of the Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS), has called for intensified efforts to extend improved sanitation services to underserved communities.
Any further delay, risked Ghana achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target on universal sanitation coverage.
She said sanitation remained the slowest-performing component of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector, with current progress insufficient to guarantee universal access by the 2030 deadline.
Speaking at the ongoing 37th National WASH Conference (MOLE XXXVII) at Aqua Safari in Ada, she said deprived rural communities, small towns, peri-urban areas and informal urban settlements must be prioritised to ensure that populations often excluded from reliable services had access to improved toilets.
“At the 2015–2024 pace of about 1.2 points a year, basic sanitation would reach only about 39 per cent by 2030, against an SDG target of universal coverage,” she cautioned.
Data from the 2021 Population and Housing Census indicated that open defecation remained prevalent, particularly in rural communities, where the rate stands at 31.3 per cent, compared with 8.9 per cent in urban areas, representing a national average of 17.7 per cent.
The census also showed that 74 per cent of households lacked exclusive access to improved toilet facilities, with many depending on shared and public toilets.
It indicated that 32.5 per cent of households shared toilet facilities, while 23 per cent relied on public toilets. Only 25.3 per cent had improved toilets for their exclusive use.
Madam Akanyani said access to water was also critical to improving sanitation outcomes, citing Community Water and Sanitation Agency figures which put rural and small-town water coverage at 61.87 per cent in 2023.
She, however, commended the Government for its decision to increase the District Assemblies Common Fund allocation for WASH to 20 per cent, comprising 10 per cent each for potable water and environmental sanitation.
She also lauded the Government for securing a €323 million financing package, led by the European Investment Bank, for the Northern Ghana Water and Sanitation Project.
The project is expected to address persistent water shortages in Tamale, Yendi and Damango in the Northern and Savannah Regions, benefiting more than 1.4 million people.
It would also support faecal sludge treatment facilities in Wa, Bolgatanga and Yendi.
“We look forward to its timely implementation and to the tangible benefits it will bring to communities,” she said.
Madam Akanyani further commended the Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mr Mahama Ayariga, for championing the evacuation of the decades-old waste heap at Agbogbloshie in the Greater Accra Region.
The MOLE Conference, instituted in 1989, provided a platform for consultation among government, development partners, local and international non-governmental organisations and community representatives on strategies to achieve sustainable and equitable access to WASH services.
The 2026 edition is being held under the theme: “Accelerating Climate-Resilient WASH Service Delivery for Last-Mile Communities: Options, Strategies and Actions,” with CONIWAS as the lead organiser.
GNA
Edited by Justina Hilda Paaga /Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter Mildred Siabi-Mensah
[email protected]