Poor sanitation costs gov’t $290m annually – Minister

The Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah has disclosed that poor sanitation cost the country $290 million annually.

According to her, the amount is equivalent to $12 per person per year which translates to 1.6% of the country’s GDP.

Taking her turn at the Meet the Press series Tuesday, she “it makes a lot of economic sense to invest in sanitation; every dollar invested in sanitation yields $5 dividends.”

It is an undisputed fact that access to safe water and improved sanitation is considered key to the socio-economic development of every civilized society.

It is in this regard that the Madam Dapaah said her MInistry would continue to promote initiatives that culminate in increased access to safe water and improved sanitation services to all Ghanaians.

Sanitation is among the powerful drivers of the national economy which impacts on health, education, tourism and human development.

She again indicated that the sanitation services delivery in the cities has witnessed significant improvement in recent times.

“According to the 2019 report released by the Ministry of Monitoring and Evaluation, 75% of the solid waste generated in the urban centres is now properly managed,” she said.

She emphasized the need for a change of attitude and behaviour, as they are important contributing factors in ensuring that the cities and major towns are kept clean at all times.

The Minister disclosed that her outfit has decided to facilitate the deployment of Sanitation Guards to help in the enforcement of the sanitation laws.

“Consequently, the Ministry has decided to facilitate the deployment of Sanitation Guards popularly known as saman-saman by July this year in the MMDAs to strengthen the enforcement of the sanitation bye-laws to maintain cleanliness in our cities and towns,” she remarked.

Madam Dapaah emphasized that, in an effort to ensure strict adherence to the various national and local environmental sanitation laws and regulations in Ghana, the Ministry has initiated the process of putting together a comprehensive consolidated National Sanitation laws.

She said this, will serve as the primary reference document for the preparation of local bye-laws as well as enhancing the successful prosecution of sanitation offenders.