The Vice President Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has indicated government’s preparedness to partner with private investors in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector to turn the current seemingly helpless sanitation situation into viable job creation opportunities for the youth.
He said government would continue to create the needed enabling environment and therefore welcomes private sector investment in sanitation and water supply especially in the areas of innovative technologies, infrastructure and services.
In a speech read on behalf of the Vice President at the ongoing 28th Edition of the Mole Conference Series in Accra by a Deputy Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Mr Michael Gyato called on all private investors, young university graduates, civil engineers, all business-minded people, the academia, to explore business opportunities in the water and sanitation challenge to help us to solve the problem while we create jobs.
As part of efforts to tackle the dwindling funding for the WASH sector, Dr. Bawumia said government was working assiduously to mop up domestic funds to provide the needed infrastructure for the delivery of quality water and sanitation services in Ghana and further assured of Government’s commitment to establishing the Sanitation Fund as captured in the party’s manifesto.
To give the new WASH sector a clear sense of focus and direction, the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Joseph Kofi Adda has announced that an Integrated Strategy for Water and Sanitation with an action plan would soon be rolled out and that out of the strategy a policy document has been drafted for cabinet’s consideration in the establishment of the national Sanitation Authority (NSA) as indicated in the 2017 national budget statement.
Delivering the theme address “Ghana’s Lower Middle Income Status: Implications for Sustainable WASH Services Delivery” the Director of the Institute of Environment and Sanitation Studies (IESS) of the University of Ghana, Legon Professor Christopher Gordon has described the practice of Open Defecation (OD) as a disgrace to Ghana, adding that every child who dies from an avoidable diseases was an indictment on the nation.
He said Ghanaians should take charge and ownership and accept the responsibility as a people of fixing the problems we had in sanitation and water in order to achieve the SDG 6 targets.
Chairman of the Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation, Martin Dery also underscored the need for the government to increase the percentage of financial allocations to the WASH sector.
According to the Chairman, the one per cent allocation has undermined the Wash service delivery with regards to sanitation in the country.
“The allocation has undermined WASH service delivery especially that of sanitation. And that is why when you travel around the country there are lot of filth because it requires very heavy investment where the government allocation is below what is expected…” he added.
“And it doesn’t apply to the most critical areas that the local people want. That’s why we want the allocation to increase for the local programs to be implemented…” he stressed.
It is with this that, Mr Dery believes the Government must increase the allocation to prevent the NGO from relying solely on Charity, bilateral donors among other sponsors.