The government has been urged to, as a matter of urgency, renew and increase resources for the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area and Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GKMA/GAMA) Project to complement ongoing efforts in the fight against open defecation.
The government was also called to extend the intervention to other Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies.
Mr. Eric Anarfi, Municipal Coordinating Director of the Atwima Nwabiagya South Municipality made the call when the Media Coalition Against Open Defecation (M-CODE) with support from World Vision Ghana visited the Municipality to assess the Assembly’s budgetary allocation, plans, challenges and the way forward.
According to him, with the intervention of GKMA/GAMA, about 90% of households in the municipality were able to acquire toilet facilities within two years of enrolling in the project.
He noted that the Assembly is intensifying efforts to ensure the remaining households also own toilets to help end open defecation in the municipality.
Mr. Prosper Argum, the Municipal Environmental Officer, disclosed that nearly 2,150 household toilets were constructed across the municipality between 2023 and 2024 under the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area (GKMA) project.
He explained that the facilities constructed under the project were purely bio-digester toilet systems, which have contributed significantly to improving sanitation and reducing open defecation in communities within the municipality.
Mr. Argum said while considerable progress has been made, a small proportion of households still do not have toilet facilities because of inadequate space, financial difficulties, and in some cases, negative attitudes toward household sanitation.
According to him, with support from Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP), the Assembly has constructed seven institutional toilet facilities in selected schools across the municipality.
The beneficiary institutions include Toase R/C School, Experimental School at Nkawie, Kuffour Cluster of Schools at Nkawie, Nerebehin R/C School, Sepaase M/A School, Manhyia M/A School and the Abuakwa Division.
He indicated that each facility has a 14-seater capacity and is equipped with mechanised boreholes to provide water and support proper hygiene and maintenance.
Mr. Argum said the Assembly, with support from WSUP, has trained 35 local artisans in bio-digester toilet technology.
This, he noted, is being implemented under a market-based sanitation approach where households can pay affordable amounts towards construction instead of bearing the full cost at once.
Mr. Argum disclosed that the Assembly has issued a six-month ultimatum to households without toilet facilities to construct them.
He said those who fail to comply after the period will face the necessary legal action, adding that the directive forms part of the Assembly’s broader strategy to eliminate open defecation.
He stressed that the municipality’s sanitation drive aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6, which seeks to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
Mr. Argum called for sustained collaboration between the Assembly, development partners, the media and residents to consolidate the gains made.
He appealed to households yet to construct toilets to make sanitation a priority, stressing that access to a household toilet is not only a matter of convenience but also an important public health requirement.
He reiterated that the progress recorded in Atwima Nwabiagya South demonstrates that partnerships between local government authorities, development partners, the media and communities can produce significant results in the fight against open defecation.
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