Sanitation Minister Lydia Seyram Alhassan has called on stakeholders to actively get involved in addressing challenges in the water, sanitation, and hygiene services (WASH) sector.

She said: “As Ghanaians we should yearn for a nation where hygiene practices are ingrained in our daily lives, promoting health outcomes and well-being, and to achieve this vision, we must work together as a collective force.

“The Government cannot single-handedly address the challenges of the WASH sector. “It requires the active involvement and collaboration of all stakeholders and partners from various sectors, including civil society organisations, the private sector, academia, development partners and the communities.”

Madam Alhassan made the call in an address at the commemoration of the 2024 World Toilet Day held at La-Bawaleshie, near Madina, in Accra, in the Ayawaso West Municipality

The Day was on the theme: “Toilets for Dignity, Health and Safety.”

The Minister said: “By forging strategic partnerships, we can leverage our strengths, share resources and create sustainable solutions.

"Together, we can pull down the barriers that impede progress and ensure that no one is left behind in our journey towards improved sanitation.”

She noted that access to clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene is not just a basic human right but also a foundation for health, dignity and total well-being.

“In Ghana, like in many parts of the world, this lack of access poses a severe challenge, impacting negatively on the health and dignity of our people, especially women and children who are disproportionately affected by inadequate toilets in our homes, communities, schools, commercial areas and even at hospitals,” Madam Alhassan stated.

She said according to the 2021 Population and Housing Census, open defecation in urban areas was nine per cent, whilst nationally it stood at almost 17.7 per cent.

“This means that nearly one out of every 10 residents of urban areas like La Bawaleshie practice open defecation. Additionally, 25 per cent of the urban populace depend on public toilets as places of convenience.

“This trend is really worrying as the hygiene at most public and communal toilets leaves a lot to be desired. Indeed, having a toilet in your home safeguards your dignity, health and safety,” she said.

Madam Alhassan said it was against this background that the Government has developed transformative WASH initiatives to ensure access to clean and safe toilets for all persons living in Ghana.

“Through this initiative, Ghana has made significant strides in increasing household toilets from around 13 per cent in 2018 to over 25 per cent according to the 2021 Population and Housing Census.

“The “Toilets for All” Programme by the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders admonishes households to stop open defecation and build their own toilets,” Madam Alhassan noted.

Touching on cholera, she said until recently, Ghana had not recorded any case of the condition since 2017, and that it was no mean an achievement.

“The reality of improper management of liquid waste and its implications for our health should be of concern to all. Let us all resolve to banish open defecation and manage our liquid waste safely.

“We can free our dear nation and its people from this deadly disease. I am therefore admonishing all people living in Ghana to take precautionary measures to put an end to the menace,” the Minister stated.

Madam Alhassan urged the public to maintain high hygienic measures such as drinking and using safe water, cooking food thoroughly and constantly washing hands with soap under running water, adding, “Collectively, we can make cholera outbreak a thing of the past, once again.”

She expressed gratitude to the sponsors of this year’s World Toilet Day namely the USAID/Global Communities, World Bank/GAMA Sanitation and Water Project, Sewerage Systems Ghana Limited and WaterAid Ghana.

The World Toilet Day, which is held every year on 19th November, is to raise awareness of the 3.5 billion people across the globe still living without safely managed sanitation, including 419 million who practice open defecation as reported by the United Nations.