Tamale, June 18, GNA – The Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TaMA) has launched a citywide sanitation plan to tackle issues of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in the Greater Tamale area.
The citywide sanitation plan seeks to set the framework for WASH interventions and to realise the vision of achieving a clean and environmentally friendly Metropolis.
The plan was prepared through a consultative and participatory process involving key sector stakeholders at the Regional, District and Community levels.
Mr Sule Salifu, the Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive, who spoke during the launch of the plan in Tamale, said the development of the plan showed leadership and commitment from the Assembly to prioritise WASH in its development agenda.
Mr Salifu commended the Catholic Relief Services (CRS), an international non-governmental organisation, which spearheaded the development of the citywide sanitation plan, for complementing the efforts of TaMA towards providing socio-economic services, especially in education, agriculture, water and sanitation, amongst others.
He urged all stakeholders to support the implementation of the plan to improve the sanitation situation in the Metropolis.
Miss Caroline Raes, the Head of Programmes, CRS, said the plan made provision for equitable and sustainable sanitation systems in the Metropolis, paying special attention to the needs of the poor, and marginalised, including women and girls.
Ms Raes observed low budgetary allocation to the WASH sector, which resulted in low investment in sanitation financing and service delivery.
She said there was a need to increase investment in the WASH sector, adding “If investment in sanitation is not increased, Ghana may not meet the target of providing safe sanitation to all by 2030.”
Mr Martin Ahorlu, the Director of Waste Management, TaMA expressed a need for all stakeholders to prioritise issues of waste management and sanitation by investing in and implementing policies and programmes that would help address the situation.
He said, “Almost a quarter of the population in the Metropolis still practise open defecation with some of the public toilets badly managed, collapsed or even flooded with exposed excreta.”
GNA