Govt urged to increase investment in WASH programme
The Country Director of WaterAid, Ghana, a non-governmental organisation, Mr Abdul-Nashiru Mohammed, has entreated the government to increase investment in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sectors to enable the country to achieve its target of ensuring universal coverage in those sectors by 2025.
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He observed that donor funding and support were not always enough in addressing the shortfalls and suggested that, the government find ways of generating additional funds through tax revenues from areas such as the extractive industry.
The director stated this in an interview with media practitioners on the sidelines of a maiden conference on WASH at Navrongo last Thursday. It was organised by the University for Development Studies (UDS) in collaboration with the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) and Desert Research Institute (DRI) of the United States of America (USA).
Launch
The occasion was also used to launch a 43-page report entitled: "Mineral Rights to Human Rights: mobilising resources from the extractive industries in Ghana for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene."
It highlights the pressing need to channel more financial resources into the WASH sector of Ghana.
The report was jointly produced by WaterAid and Oxford Policy Management (OPM), an international development consulting firm.
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Concerns
Mr Mohammed expressed concern that as a result of Ghana achieving a lower-middle-income status, grants and concessionary finance might be reduced in the coming years, hence the need for the government to increase public investment in the WASH sectors through its own.
He further indicated that, "increased public financing and functional institutions meant to carry out WASH activities were also important in realising the country's objectives in the sector."
The director also observed that although there were no direct linkages between extractive industrial revenue and WASH expenditure in Ghana, there were some legal provisions that offered the opportunity for channelling revenues into specific priority investments through the national budget.
Touching on fluoride content in water around the Bongo and Kassena Nankana West districts in the Upper East Region, the director said WaterAid would support all efforts to reduce the fluoride content in water.
That, he said, called for effective collaboration among stakeholders in water delivery, the academia and research institutions in the country.
On open defecation, Mr Mohammed said, "it is unacceptable the high number of people who engage in open defecation in the region." He appealed to the traditional authorities in the area to champion a crusade against such negative practices.
Suggestions
Some participants suggested that much as the government was doing much to combat galamsey and its effects on water bodies and the environment, it must not lose sight of finding alternative livelihoods for those engaged in the practice.
They equally pointed out the need for the affected people in the communities, where those illegal mining activities had taken place over the years, to be medically examined for any form of diseases as a result of inhaling dangerous chemicals and pollutants.