The Coalition of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) in water and sanitation (CONIWAS), has re-affirmed its support for government to enact legislation to establish a National Sanitation Authority.
They are also pushing for a legislation that would establish a National Sanitation Fund and convert the community water and sanitation agency from a facilitator to a rural water utility to bring in efficiency and deepen impact to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
They contended that Ghana aimed to enhance private sector participation, increase financing, and create strong and sustainable water access sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) activities laudable.
This became known to the Ghana News Agency when delegations of CONIWAS called on the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources in Accra.
The aim of the meeting was to discuss the intended implementation processes of the plans and commitments, find out the expected tile of NGOs and other strategic planners in the sector announced by the Minister at the UN Water Conference in March 2023 when she delivered a presidential compact.
Mrs Badola Nanbigne, Executive Secretary of CONIWAS who led the delegation told GNA that they were following keenly in the significant steps by the Minister to address WASH needs in the country.
‘’We also emphasised that strengthening water resource management and collaborating with other sectors like health, agriculture, and energy are crucial to water and sanitation’’ she said.
She noted that establishing a fund for households to construct their own toilets, increasing public and private financing for WASH to at least one per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Mrs Nanbigne commended government on the development of the review of the Environmental Sanitation and the water policy which would soon be launched and made available for sector practitioners to use in their work.
Madam Cecilia Dapaah, Sanitation Minister in her response assured the delegation that Government was doing their best to improve sanitation countrywide.
She said: ‘’Let’s look at the society and the reality way of doing things that will suit us and solve our sanitation problems effectively’’
Madam Dapaah gave an assurance they would pursue a transformative agenda in the WASH sector by enhancing private sector participation to make sure their views were impacted into the Environmental sanitation policy.
She urged CONIWAS delegation to continue to with their advocacy programmes in the communities and assured them that the water policy would soon be launched and made available for sector practitioners.
