Ghana has made major strides in providing water and sanitation services to the population – Bawumia

According to Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Ghana has made significant progress in WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) over the past six years.
He claimed that as a result, millions of Ghanaians now have easier access to sanitary facilities and potable water.
“We have seen very significant gains in Ghana’s water and sanitation over the past six years due to these improvements.For instance, “no cholera case has been reported in the last six years,” stated Dr. Bawumia.
On Wednesday, October 19, the Vice-President gave a speech at the opening of the “All Systems Go Forum” in Accra, which was put on by the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources.

He said Government has shown its commitment to addressing the water and sanitation needs of Ghanaians while meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“As the Co-Chair of the Sustainable Development Goals, His Excellency President Akufo-Addo has demonstrated adequate commitment to ensuring that Ghana meets the 2030 Agenda for the SDGs, with equal emphasis on SDG 6, within the stipulated time.

“This is reflected in the many projects being undertaken in the WASH Sector, some of which are already completed and commissioned, whilst processes are ongoing for others.”

The projects, Dr. Bawumia said include; Upper East Water Supply Project; Yendi Water Supply Project; Tamale Water Supply Project; Damongo Water Supply Project; Wenchi Water Supply Project and Sunyani Water Supply Project.

The rest are; Keta Water Supply Project; Sekondi-Takoradi Water Supply Project; and additional financing for the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA)/Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area Water and Sanitation Project.

According to the 2021 Population and Housing Census undertaken by the Ghana Statistical Service, the number of households that currently have access to toilet facilities has increased from 33% to 59.3%.

The percentage of households with access to basic drinking water has seen a significant improvement from 79% in 2018 to 87.7% in 2021.

According to Dr. Bawumia, the interventions in the water sub-sector are expected to result in additional 4.3 million beneficiaries having access to potable water.

The Vice President commended the organisers and partners for the Symposium – IRC, UNICEF and the Conrad Hilton Foundation – for the programme, stressing that its conception and organization provide ample testimony that African WASH Experts are alive to their responsibilities.

“The Symposium is occurring at a crucial time in our development when the population of Africa keeps rising, with its attendant high demand for WASH-related services, knowing that the provision of such services has not kept pace with the increasing population.

“There is, therefore, the urgent need for action to strengthen the African WASH planning and capabilities so as to strengthen the sector for effective service delivery to the growing population,” Dr. Bawumia added.

He noted that for the challenges of the WASH sector to be resolved, public policy must be incorporated with systems thinking and technical expertise as the theme of the symposium suggests.

“This is an urgent call for our Leaders and WASH Experts to deepen their collaboration to address issues in the Sector.  It is also imperative, as a Continent, to tap into the unique experiences, skills and stock of knowledge of our Experts to help chart a new course for improved WASH service delivery.”