By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
The Sagnarigu Municipal Assembly in the Northern Region was adjudged the overall best at the second edition of the Baobab District WASH Awards held in Accra last Friday.
Sagnarigu Municipal Assembly beat 30 other Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs) from six regions in the northern and Oti regions for its commitment to delivering sustainable WASH services for the well-being of people in the area.
The annual district WASH awards is an initiative by World Vision Ghana and its partners under the Enhancing WASH Activity in collaboration with Global Communities.
The Enhancing WASH activity aims to facilitate access to and use sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene services and products in target districts.
To emerge as the overall best district for 2024, Sagnarigu Municipal Assembly took home motorbikes, two laptops, two tablets, a plaque, and a citation.
In addition, the Sagnarigu Municipal Assembly will also be connected to some corporate entities to engage in possible partnerships for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services and will participate in international WASH conferences to learn and present the best WASH practices’ impact.
The Mion District Assembly emerged as the First Runner-Up, while the Karaga District Assembly took the Second Runner-Up position. They both received a motorbike, tablet, and plaque.
According to the organisers, the Boaba District awards recognise not just good, successful, and effective performance as normally expected of a local government authority but also the achievement of extraordinary outcomes that has a significant, positive impact on the delivery of sustainable WASH services for every resident in the districts.
The 2024 edition of the Boaba District awards was in two folds i.e., the Special and General Wards categories. Under the general category were; the Leadership and Coordination Award, WASH Prioritisation and Financing, Regulation and Enforcement, and WASH Services Delivery.
In the general category, the Sagnarigu Municipal Assembly also won the Leadership and Coordination Award, with the Wa East District, Mion District, and Wa Municipal assemblies winning the WASH Prioritisation and Financing, Regulation, and Enforcement, as well as WASH Services Delivery categories, respectively. Performance and National Assessment, Best in Sustainability, Water Quality, and Institutional Capacity respectively
The Yendi Municipal Assembly emerged as the Best in Performance and National Assessment, while the East Mamprusi Municipal Assembly took the Best in Sustainability.
The Mamprugu Moagduri and Karaga District Assembly were adjudged the best in Water Quality and Institutional Capacity respectively.
The event was held on the theme “Defining the path for water, sanitation, and hygiene as a national development priority”.
Delivering the keynote address, the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Madam Lydia Seyram Alhassan, commended USAID, World Vision Ghana, and Global Communities for their ingenuity and ensuring that “this beautiful idea” of motivating districts to deliver on their statutory mandate was kept alive.
“This will in no small way facilitate access and to use sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene services, as well as products in these targets of northern Ghana and the Oti regions,” the Minister noted.
She further urged assemblies to use the WASH programme to improve the health of children and mothers and to also address the risk factors in the environment that had the potential of barring them from benefiting from improved health.
In a speech read on her behalf, the National Director of World Vision Ghana, Laura Cristina Del Valle, said World Vision believed that nothing could be more important to a child’s well-being than access to safe drinking water, improved sanitation, and hygiene.
“We are committed to making a difference by bringing hope, joy, and justice to all children and their families, especially the most vulnerable,” she said.
On her part, the acting Mission Director of USAID, Grace Lang, said the US was Ghana’s largest bilateral development partner.
In 2023, she said bilateral support through the USAID totaled over $140 million dedicated to supporting WASH, economic growth, agriculture, health, education, and others.
“We believe that real, lasting change is built on the foundations of strong partnership.
The US remains committed to facilitating access to clean water and sanitation in collaboration with Ghanaian stakeholders as this aligns with global efforts to achieve UN Sustainable Development Goals,” Madam Grace Lang said.
The Chief of Party of Global Communities, Mr. Dominic Osei, said ensuring that every community had access to sustainable and quality WASH service was essential for the development of the country, particularly in the most deprived regions.
“With strong leadership and focused efforts, we can overcome barriers and create lasting impact for our communities,” he said.
