Sanitation and Water Ministry adopts new ways to improve the sector
Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah, has said the Ministry is making the appropriate effort to inject efficiency in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector.
Among the changes being made, the Minister said, is the implementation of the Operation Vanguard to stem water pollution as well as protect water bodies being jointly undertaken by the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and Water Resources Commission (WRC).
Madam Dapaah said this in a speech read for her by Mr Anthony Mensah, Director of Sanitation, on Thursday at the launch of the Rural Water Sanitation Hygiene (RWASH) by PLAN International, Ghana and its partners.
Madam Dapaah said, the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) has also commissioned some reforms within the rural water sector with the aim of employing professionalism to consolidate the gains made in the past.
“All these and many others are part of the larger plans and institutional re-organization of the WASH sector to align with the new thinking required by the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Six,” she said
Madam Dapaah said, this is to ensure sustainable management of water, sanitation and hygiene for all by 2030.
She said the Ministry would also ensure transparency by properly monitoring and evaluating Non-Governmental Organizations in the sector to make certain that they work within the policy and priorities of the Ministry.
“Plans are far advanced to re-activate the WASH sector working group which brings together senior staff of the Ministry to sit with civil society organizations and international NGOs on a monthly basis,” she said.
Mr Solomon Tesfamariam, Country Director of PLAN-Ghana, said the project would be implemented in 36 communities and the objective is to contribute to the reduction in morbidity and mortality among all children, especially girls, through equitable access to safe, affordable and sustainable water and improve sanitation and hygiene by 2021.
He said, Agona East, Akuapem North, and Afadzato South districts in the Central, Eastern and Volta regions, would benefit from the Project.
Madam Basila Nanbigne, Executive Secretary of CONIWAS said there is a financial gap in the WASH sector to be bridged and called on government to increase the budget in the sector.
It brought together stakeholders in the sector, such as district executives, school girls, directors and heads of WASH NGOs
Source: GNA