The Media Coalition Against Open Defecation is calling for the establishment of a budget line for eradication of open defecation in annual budgets that syncs with the national road map.
The Coalition is of the view that, Ghana can achieve the universal access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation even before 2025, if more investments are made in improving sanitation facilities.
A statement issued by the Coalition said Ghana now ranks among seven poorest performing countries in terms of sanitation and open defecation and is the main reason why Ghana still records cholera outbreaks with a lot of diarrhoea deaths amongst children and adults.
It said one out of every five Ghanaians defecate outside each day, representing close to six million people who engage in open defecation. Experts, the statement said, have also indicated that the practice costs Ghana 79 million dollars annually. Apart from the practice affecting tourism, it is also the cause of many preventable illnesses like typhoid, malnutrition and stunted growth in children.
It stated that in order to work towards the attainment of a transformed economy, the Coalition is asking government to provide a national road map for the eradication of open defecation at every administrative level, with enforcement of by-laws by the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) towards this national campaign.
