Discussants at the third Executive Breakfast Conversation, in Accra, have called for the strengthening of the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, and the establishment of National Sanitation Authority to drive water, sanitation and hygiene to national development.
They thought the nation had made some progress in providing water, but the challenge was water quality and the need to fill the sanitation gap.
A National Sanitation Authority, they pointed out, would be the agent to handle the daily operational activities of sanitation and hygiene.
The dialogue, on theme, ‘Repositioning Water and Sanitation as a Key Driver of National Development’ discussed the enabling and catalytic role of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) for accelerated growth and wellbeing and why the country should prioritise and recognise its use.
The discussants at the dialogue noted that Ghana risked missing all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) if it failed to meet SDG Goal Six meant to ensure availability and susta
inable management of water and sanitation- described as ‘the gateway to improve health, productivity and development socio economic development,’ for all.
The conversation recognised the need to create the enabling and catalytic role of WASH for accelerated growth and well-being and why the county should prioritise and make it a national development priority.
Prof Simon Mariwah, a development geographer at the University of Cape Coast, observed that sanitation was doing badly compared to water, and referenced the report 2018 National Population and Housing Census had about 90 per cent access to basic water, that of sanitation had improved to 25 per cent since the 2010 National Population and Housing Census.
Hitherto, previous discussions had focused on water, Prof Mariwah noted, and called for more national discussions to handle the daily operations.
Source: Ghana News Agency