By Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
A documentary produced by the Ghana Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Journalists Network (GWJN) titled: “The State of Open Defecation and Access to Improved Sanitation in Ghana,” has been screened and outdoored to water and sanitation stakeholders.
The documentary seeks to unearth the underlying factors that make it difficult for Ghanaians to access improved sanitation and why about 17.7% of the population resort to open defecation.
The documentary highlights some critical issues that warrant public attention and action.
Key issues contained in the documentary that urgently need to be addressed by the Government and policymakers are poverty, education, awareness creation, behavioral change, and sustained investment in water and sanitation infrastructure.
The production of the documentary according to the National Coordinator of GWJN, Mr. Justice Lee Adoboe is part of the network’s support for the country’s efforts to eradicate open defecation and achieve the sanitation targets under Goal 6 of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The National Coordinator of GWJN explained at the documentary screening session held at the Ghana International Press Centre in Accra that various themes had come to light out of the half-hour piece, but the most pronounced is poverty.
He added “Unfortunately, poverty is also a major driver of open defecation which is a major blot on our national conscience.
We hope this piece, imperfect as it may be, comes in to aid the other advocacy tools in the sector to make a strong case for restrategizing to implement effective policies that would create the needed access to improved sanitation in every nook and cranny of the country, thereby helping to end open defecation.”
On his part, Mr. Harold Esserko of the World Bank Ghana who is the Dean of the Development Partners was not happy that open defecation per individuals practicing open defecation had gone up.
According to the Dean of the Development Partners, they are working with the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources and other crucial stakeholders to halt the menace of open defecation in the country.
Meanwhile, a Director at the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), Madam Safuratu Muhammed Andani in her delivery called for behavioral change on the part of the populace when it comes to open defecation.
She said the best investment that the government can offer the people of Ghana is to invest massively in water and sanitation.
