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Mr Attah Arhin, the Vice-President of CONIWAS, and Ms Ama Ofori-Antwi, the Executive Secretary of ESPA, addressing the media at the press conference
Mr Attah Arhin, the Vice-President of CONIWAS, and Ms Ama Ofori-Antwi, the Executive Secretary of ESPA, addressing the media at the press conference

‘Govt must speed up establishment of National Sanitation Authority’

Two organisations championing effective and efficient environmental sanitation issues in the country have called on the government to as a matter of urgency accelerate the establishment of the National Sanitation Authority (NSA) and the National Sanitation Fund to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The two, Environmental Service Providers Association of Ghana (ESPA) and the Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS), in a joint statement said the NSA would be the game changer and the panacea for addressing the numerous environmental sanitation challenges in the country.

The statement was issued at the end of the five-day Mole XXX Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) conference in Ho.

The two organisations, which have joined forces to promote a clean, healthy and prosperous Ghana, said the progress of the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources had been slow, three years after its establishment.

Addressing the media, the Vice-President of CONIWAS, Mr Attah Arhin, said despite the establishment of the ministry, investment in environmental sanitation had been abysmally low as the inadequate budgetary allocation had further declined from GH¢255 million in 2017 to GH¢246 million in 2019.

Issues

“Open defecation remained unacceptably high at 22 per cent. Only 21 per cent of Ghanaians have access to improved sanitation, less than three per cent of liquid waste was treated and disposed of safely,” he indicated.

Mr Arhin further said Ghana generated over five million tonnes of waste per annum of which only 60 per cent was collected and disposed of safely, while the remaining 40 per cent end up in unauthorised places, including drains.

He stated that the inadequate financing for solid waste management, coupled with the high cost of operations and unrealistic tariffs, affected the quality of effective service delivery by providers, especially to the poor.

Ghana, he said, charged less than $10 in managing a tonne of waste, which was relatively lower than the $30 recommended by the World Bank.

"Delays in the payment of service providers by the government, high taxes on imported equipment and increasing cost of fuel is driving many service providers out of business," he cited.

The government, he said, could overcome the challenges only when it demonstrated political will and commitment to prioritise and increase investment in the sector with support from its development partners.

To promote proper environmental delivery services, the two organisations have resolved to dialogue with the government on fair pricing that protects the consumers and private service providers, engage the government on the need to support local and indigenous private sector companies to develop the needed infrastructure, ensure pro-poor services for all and contribute to opportunities for job creation.

Mr Arhin said the government must increase financing for environmental sanitation through the budget and other innovative financing instruments, including tax waivers and guarantees for private commercial financing.

"Provide adequate infrastructure for waste treatment, recycling and final disposal through partnerships with the private sector," he recommended.

He further urged the government to support existing waste treatment facilities with financial incentives, including management fees, signing off-taker agreements and provide subsidies.

The conference

The Mole XXX conference, which brought together various stakeholders in the Water and Sanitation sector, was on the theme: "30 years of Multi-Stakeholder WASH Dialogue: Reflections and Prospects."

At the opening ceremony, the Vice President, Dr Alhaji Mahamadu Bawumia, announced that the government had activated the process for the establishment of a National Sanitation Authority and Sanitation Fund to give a significant focus on the sanitation challenges in Ghana.

He said the government would continue to engage CONIWAS in reviewing the National Water Policy and Environmental Sanitation Policy and their related strategic plans in order to align them with the SDGs.

Dr Bawumia said once the government reviewed its policies and got the institutional alignment right, "we can count on ourselves and development partners and non-governmental organisations which have invested so much in the sector to support civil society organisations to support the accelerated delivery of safe water and improve sanitation."

He mentioned that 3,560 water and sanitation projects had been undertaken across the constituencies in the country.

That, he said, formed part of the ‘One Million, One Constituency’ policy of the government.

Dr Bawumia gave an assurance that the government would continue to dialogue with the coalition and its members to reflect their contribution into the ongoing water and sanitation reforms to universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene by 2030.

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