Ministry partners Fidelity Bank to construct over 20,000 toilets
The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development is partnering Fidelity Bank Ltd to construct over 20,000 toilet facilities for households throughout the country
Advertisement
The bank, under the partnership, will be providing funding under a special arrangement for the construction of the facilities.
Dubbed the Sanitation Business Model One, landlords who do not have toilet facilities in their homes would be provided with the facility and payment would be spread over a period of time.
This is part of efforts by the government to stop open defecation, which has been a major headache to the authorities and the main cause of the spread of cholera in the country.
Fidelity Bank
Briefing the Daily Graphic after a meeting with the management of Fidelity Bank, the sector Minister, Mr Julius Debrah, said “the good side is that Fidelity Bank has accepted the business model that we are introducing and are ready to roll with us and such a partnership is an innovation and something that is worth pursuing”.
He explained that after the model one, there would be a series of other models under sanitation.
“We took this message as part of our National Sanitation Day campaign to the Fidelity Bank and we were so impressed that the management of the bank, seeing the wisdom in our proposal, decided to partner us to provide the facilities,” he explained.
Mr Debrah said the details were yet to be worked out but the important thing was that the two institutions were committed to carrying through the project.
Public participation
Mr Debrah said the ministry was also considering another option where such facilities would be provided for the public and individuals would be invited to manage them and, raise funds from them to be able to pay off and own the facility.
“So we also have a programme where we would appeal to individuals who want to be entrepreneurs in the sanitation sector to manage the facilities until they finish paying, then they own them.
“It is open to everybody. You don’t need any special arrangement. All you need to do is to walk to your assembly and tell them that you have a parcel of land so that they could construct one of the facilities for you or the assembly can provide you with one on its own land for you to manage and raise funds to pay it off, ” he explained.
Mr Debrah gave an assurance that even though the project was yet to take off, he was optimistic that “it is going to happen within our time. This will happen by the grace of God.”
