The Central Regional Minister, Mr Kwamena Duncan, has called on the central government to radicalise efforts at eradicating open defecation, saying the practice after 60 years of the nation’s independence is an indictment on the nation.
One in five Ghanaians practices open defecation, according to a World Bank report.
The nation spends $280 million on sanitation related diseases and loses $79 million on the effects of open defecation yearly.
Every region in the country practises open defecation and there is no district that is open defecation-free in the country.
Mr Duncan said the practice was dehumanising and costly and must not be allowed to go on.
He was speaking at the Central regional launch of the Social Norms Campaign dubbed: Open Defecation-Free (ODF) Ghana Campaign in Cape Coast, last Thursday.
Mr Duncan said Ghana as a nation must be blamed for not doing enough to work to eradicate the menace.
He said even more disturbing was the fact that not much efforts were being put in place to ensure that many places of convenience were built.
Leadership commended
Mrs Loretta Roberts of the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) congratulated the government and the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources for the leadership shown in improving the sanitation situation in the country through the launch of the National Sanitation Campaign.
She explained that the ODF Ghana campaign was aimed at making Ghana open defecation-free by creating awareness of its dangers on the well-being of the people and to trigger a change in behaviour on negative sanitation practices.
She said the campaign did not only target those who practised open defecation but policy makers, service provides such as the environmental health officers, community development workers, health and education staff and the civil society.
Mrs Roberts appealed to the Central regional minister to put in place strategies and commit resources to achieve set targets.
Mr Theophilus Ribeiro of the Community Development Department said the campaign should get all to frown on open defecation and urged all stakeholders to do their best to significantly improve sanitation in the region and the country in general.
Urgent actions
The Omanhen of the Cape Coast Traditional Area, Osabarima Kwesi Atta, said open defecation called for drastic education and urgent action to change the attitudes and behaviours of the people.
Stakeholders attending the launch pledged their commitment to eradicate open defecation from the district by 2019.
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