Africa-Press – Ghana. A documentary titled: “The State of Open Defecation and Access to Improved Sanitation in Ghana,” has been screened and outdoored to water and sanitation stakeholders.
It 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 was produced through a joint effort by the Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector and the Ghana WASH Journalists Network(GWJN).
The production of the documentary according to GWJN, is part of its support for the country’s efforts to eradicate open defecation and achieve the sanitation targets under Goal 6 of the Sustainable Development Goals.
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.
Justice Lee Adoboe, the National Coordinator of GWJN said at the documentary screening session 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.”
The Director of Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) Safuratu Muhammed Andani in her delivery called for behavioral change on the part of her compatriots 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.
Harold Esserko of the World Bank who represented the Development Partners was not happy that open defecation per individuals practicing open defecation had gone up.
The Development Partners according to him were working with the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources and other crucial stakeholders to halt the menace of open defecation in the country.
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