As part of efforts towards attaining the national goals of open defecation free (ODF) in Ghana, a ban has been put on the construction of public toilets in communities.
This is to encourage individuals and landlords to embrace the habit of constructing household toilets. Ghana by 2030 is expected to become an open-defecation-free country.
According to reports Ghana is amongst 34 countries which have a high rate of open defecation in Africa as 19 percent of Ghanaians practice open defecation on a daily basis. Annually, the country loses a whopping sum of 79 million dollars on open defecation.
In a media briefing in Tamale on Friday, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) in collaboration with the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Natural Resources (MWSNR), announced a national open defecation free campaign.
The ODF campaign will be launched on Wednesday November 22, 2017 in Tamale. This follows the launch of the national sanitation campaign by President Akufo Addo. ODF campaign is a government initiative with funding from UNICEF.
In his presentation during the media briefing, a consultant at UNICEF, Mr. Emmanuel Addai urged traditional ruler and opinion leaders to develop interest in the fight against open defecation in their communities.
He also advised individuals and the general public to adopt the use of latrines to curb the menace of open defecation in the country.
The deputy Environmental Sanitation Officer at the Northern Regional Coordinating council (RCC), Mr. Dauda Shaibu, told Zaa News that a lot of engagement has been done and land lords have been cautioned to build toilets in their houses.
Jonas Biawuribi/zaaradio.com
