Replicating GAMA Sanitation and Water Project nationwide key to addressing open defecation – Ing. George Asiedu

Coordinator of the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area-Sanitation and Waste Project (GAMA-SWP), Ing. George Asiedu has emphasised the importance of replicating the project in other Metropolitan and municipal assemblies in the country.

According to him, this will not only improve sanitation nationwide but will significantly help in addressing open defecation nationwide.

Open defecation remains higher in the rural areas than the urban areas with 39% of rural households practicing open defecation according to data from the Ghana Statistical Service.

In the data, 12% of urban households also practice open defecation, a figure still well above the 0% target for 2030 under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target 6.2.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, April 17, Ing. George Asiedu said this challenge will be addressed if the GAMA Sanitation and Water Project is replicated in other parts of the country.

He was speaking on the sidelines of day one of the working visit by the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly.

A delegation of 14 high-ranking officials from the Secondi Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA), led by the Metropolitan Chief Executive Hon. Abdul Mulmin Issah is current in Accra on a learning visit to the office of the GAMA Sanitation and Water Project.

The visit's main objective is to learn about the experiences and lessons of the GAMA SWP and replicate or adapt some of them in the STMA.

Ing. George Asiedu in welcoming the delegation said it’s very good and will help advance sanitation in the country.

“This is good because that has been our advocacy that government should scale up this project. So to have a city like Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Area which is one of the bigger cities in the country leading this course by coming to GAMA to learn the experience, we are most delighted.

“We think that we should share this for other municipalities to also learn from it. They should realise that municipal functions are their core business and sanitation is one thing they cannot take out,” Ing. George Asiedu said.

The GAMA SWP Coordinator further called on leaders of the various political parties to include water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) initiatives in their manifestos ahead of the 2024 General Election.

Speaking at the meeting, the Metropolitan Chief Executive for Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, Hon. Abdul Mulmin Issah extended appreciation to the GAMA SWP team for a warm welcome.

He said his Metropolitan Assembly sees sanitation as a priority area and wants to do everything to improve that area.

“We are here to learn from your GAMA Project. It’s a sanitation project and we want to learn this because we have a lot of challenges when it comes to sanitation in our metropolis.

“I believe we will benefit a lot from whatever you are going to teach us. We want to learn from the GAMA project and know how to overcome the challenges so that we can deliver better for our people,” Hon. Abdul Mulmin Issah said.

During the two-day learning visit to the office of GAMA SWP, Key project lessons experiences to be shared with the STMA delegation will be on the provision of household and institutional toilets, provision of other environmental services especially on the institutional strengthening and capacity development, behaviour change communication, as well as sewerage systems among other things.

On Thursday, April 18, the delegation will be taken on a field visit to Ashaiman and Tema where they will have the chance to inspect some household and institutional toilet facilities.