UNICEF to partner government to solve WASH problems

General News on Thursday, January 24, 2019

Source: thebftonline.com

2019-01-24

The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is committed to working with the Government of Ghana to improve basic access to water, sanitation and hygiene in the country. country.

UNICEF Representative in Ghana, Anne Claire Dufay, announced it at the second edition of Tamale Sanitation Fair held in Tamale.

The fair, organized under the auspices of the Metropolitan Assembly of Tamale, was designed to give local and foreign companies, industries and educators abroad the opportunity to interact with potential partners to promote water, sanitation and sanitation. hygiene (WASH).

According to the representative of UNICEF, in order to solve the problem of inadequate sanitation in the country, a fund for urban sanitation was created by the UN to allow more of people access these funds in order to embark on better sanitation programs in the country.

"One month after the launch of the fund, about 163 Tamale households and six Tamale businesses have already had access to loans. and another 46 loans to households have been approved to start construction of sanitary facilities, while nearly 20 toilets have been completed and 25 are under construction, "she said.

She said that a survey had revealed that few people in Ghana had access to domestic toilets and that one in five used public toilets.

"Here in the Northern Region, the figure rises to 57% – which means that almost three out of five people use public toilets," she said.

"UNICEF is aware that for so many people, even though it is their practice, it is not their choice. Both options are not only dangerous and impractical, but the cost of using a long-term public toilet can far outweigh the cost of a household toilet, "she added. .

She noted that it is these upfront costs that prevent so many people from acquiring home toilets.

The coordinator of the North Region Coordination, Alhaji Alhbadan Issahaku, called on the metropolitan, municipal and district bademblies to implement the sanitation regulation to ensure access to the toilets and facilities of the district. Sanitation in all homes.

"With determination and commitment, we should be able to fight against poor sanitation in the city and throughout the country," he said.

Tamale Metropolitan's chief executive, Musah Superior, said that only 32 percent of Tamale indigenous people have access to latrines, while 41 percent also open defensively.

He called for a behavior change approach to good sanitation practices in and around Metropolis.

He also called on tenants to insist that their owners install toilets in their homes to end open defecation.