Month: December 2021

Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area (GKMA) Sanitation and Water Project is benefit from thirty-thousand household toilets by the end of 2024 as part of the crusade to end open defecation in Ghana’s second biggest city.

According to the Coordinator of GKMA, Ing. George Aseidu, eight Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies would benefit from the project. They are, Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Asokwa, Oforikrom, Old Tafo, Suame, Kwadaso and Asokore Mampong Municipal Assemblies.

And further added in an interview that those Assemblies that fall outside the eight GKMA, the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources is considering extending the facility to those districts very soon during the next face of the implementation of the project.

As to whether with the parent project GAMA there had been any experience learnt that would aid the GKMA project, he said; “we are building on the experience and knowledge that we gained from Accra. A lot of lessons that is what is supporting us in the implantation at Greater Kumasi; we did a lot of experiment during the parent project, we ended up having a concept call. The large scale construction of household toilet, this is what gave us the results as we got to Kumasi we are not doing any further experiments,  we put in a contractor that has the capacity and the financial strength to construct the toilet in greater numbers on the ground and they  submit their request for payment pay”.

The contractor would pre-finance the construction of the toilet and then they would submit their claim for payment after it has been verified that the toilets exist. “We have a way of verifying so that the toilet can be counted. This is the concept that gave us the over thirty thousand numbers in Accra”.

In an interview with Ghanamps.com, the Coordinator of the GKMA pointed out that the project is targeted at low income areas in the eight (8) Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies in Kumasi which have been zoned into three, and assigned to contractors to provide quick service.

“We, have also learnt our approach towards sensitization and demand creation;  we are bringing all of them to bear on the ground; the bad lessons we learnt we are not replicating them in Kumasi,  so we are improving it better in GKMA so we should be able to achieve our target before the closing date of the project”.

The GKMA project was officially launched on 23^rd November 2020 by the Sector Minister to carry out basic assessment just to take the baseline data of the existing situation in Kumasi before the commencement of the project in October 2021.

Ing. Aseidu further noted that it was observed that fifty one (51) percent of the compound houses in Kumasi do not have household toilets, seventy (70) percent of the houses were all compound house and fifteen (15) percent being private houses and four (4) percent in uncompleted houses.

“We realised that seventy (70) percent is significant and as the project has been brought to Kumasi, we need to educate them to buy into the concept just as we did in Accra, we would help the beneficiaries in Kumasi to have toilet in their homes”.

The total cost of the toilet is four thousand five hundred Ghana but government of Ghana is taking a chunk of the cost and the beneficiaries are paying, thousand two hundred Ghana cedis, “so everybody is supposed to have his or her own toilet in their homes; you have no excuses, government is supporting you it is for Ghanaians and those at the low income communities in Kumasi”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Construction of household toilet facilities for low income areas in Ghana’s capital is still on despite the fact that the focus is on Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area (GKMA) Sanitation and Water project.

This is according to the Coordinator of the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) Sanitation and Water Project, Ing. George Aseidu.

 He said those who still need household toilets in their communities can still contact the various Assemblies and be assisted to procure one.

Speaking in an interview with Ghanamps.com, he noted that, “we are constructing additional twelve thousand (12,000) household toilets, and thirty thousand in Kumasi. We might be able to exceed our target with the 12 thousand and might end up constructing eighteen thousand (18,000) toilet or more, and Accra as part of the second phase”.

And added that in the GKMA, about thirty thousand (30,000) household toilets are expected to be constructed, but indicated his optimism of delivering about forty thousand (40, 000).

“If you do not have the money save towards it, do not keep the money in your homes; the little you have would be received and put on a mobile money platform. You would receive a prompt or notice indicating acknowledgement of the amount you have paid. You only have to continue toping up if you get to the limit of seven hundred Ghana (GHc700) out of the thousand two hundred (GHc 1,200) for the toilet, a contractor would be assigned to you to come and inspect your premises, and construct a toilet for you. So the process is still continuing in Accra”, he said.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Economic Community of West African States Female Parliamentarian Association (ECOFEPA) would today Tuesday, December 7, 2021 organise an election to elect new executives.

ECOFEPA was scheduled to hold its election at the May/June 2021 Ordinary Session but that could not happen as a result of some controversies that were not resolved after several interventions.

Madam Isa Filomena Pereira from Cape Verde is the outgoing president of ECOFEPA, and the ECOWAS Communication Directorate had announced election for a new ECOFEPA Executive will take place on Tuesday 7th December 2021, at 10 am in the Mini Auditorium of the seat of the ECOWAS Parliament, Abuja-Nigeria.

The Association was established in the year 2002 to support and encourage ECOWAS Community programmes that promote the social, economic, and cultural development of the peoples of West Africa, bringing a parliamentary and   political approach to the ECOWAS gender mainstreaming and towards the execution of the ECOWAS gender policy.

The current president of the association was unanimously elected President in 2018 and sworn in on December 10th, replacing Nigerian Senator Stella Oduah.

She was elected along with Hon. Kaboule Reine Bertille Sakande Benao (Burkina Faso) 1st Vice President, Hon. Biodun Olujimi (Nigeria) as 2nd Vice President and, Hon. Guiro Ultimate (Senegal) was appointed to serve as Secretary-General while Hon. Fatoumatta Njai was elected as the Association’s Treasurer.

It is yet to be made clear as to who are the contenders for the top job but speculations abound that one of the Vice Presidents is likely to succeed Hon. Filomena.

The election is expected to be followed by a presentation and review of the activities of ECOFEPA in the last two years, in which Hon. Filomena is expected to highlight her achievements, challenges, and prospects of the ECOFEPA. The outgoing President’s report is expected to also spotlight activities undertaken, income, and expenditure of the Association.

ECOFEPA Members are expected to deliberate and appraise the leadership of the outgoing President in their farewell messages paying a premium on the status of progress on affirmative action taken or not taken by National Assemblies across the sub-region.

Madam  Filomena, while bidding farewell to Members of the ECOWAS Parliament during the ongoing Second Ordinary Session in Abuja-Nigeria said  that  ever since 2007, she has learned a lot and  built good ties with members from across the region, noting that even as she  leaves, she does not consider herself  a stranger in the sub-region.

 “I have friends who I can call on at any time in the French, English and Portuguese Countries in the sub-region,” she said.

As part of the ECOWAS Parliament’s Standing Committees, is that of the Committee on Social Affairs, Gender and Women Empowerment

The Committee is responsible for matters relating to: Development of an ECOWAS policy on equal opportunities, including equality between men and women concerning employment opportunities; Harmonization of labor laws and legislation on social security; Promoting the exchange of skilled manpower among Member States,  Promotion of literacy, professional training, and employment; Protection of the children’s rights and other vulnerable groups; Development of appropriate measures for the protection and assistance of children and other vulnerable groups; Monitoring the local integration of ECOWAS citizen refugees under the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, Rights of Residence and Establishment; Considering issues causing humanitarian emergencies and their impact on ECOWAS Citizens; Harmonization of legislation on social protection; Solidarity building at the community level; Removal of all constraints that inhibit women from maximizing their contributions and benefits in the sub-regional integration effort; Elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, including customary practices; Harmonization of associations of West African Women’s organization with relevant bilateral, multilateral and governmental Organizations.

Ghanamps.com

The Coordinator of the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) Sanitation and Water Project, Ing. George Aseidu has urged Ghanaians to continue observing the COVID-19 protocols as Ghana is not yet off the hook yet.

According to him there is the need to continue the education to Ghanaians on the pandemic and commended the nation as by and large the pandemic has been managed well.

In an interview with Ghanamps.com he pointed out that, “we are not completely yet off the hook hence we should continue to observe the protocols, even if you have taken the jab please ensure that you put on your nose mask”, he said.

Ing. Aseidu emphasized that whenever one finds himself or herself at public places, the protocols should be observed. And again touched on washing of hands under running water with soap; and in the event water is not available, hand sanitizer should be the alternative.

“Please take your own life in your hands and change your life and attitude”, he stated.

In addition he noted that the GAMA project has also contributed largely to Ghana’s effort towards addressing COVID-19 since there is access to water supply and toilet facilities in the lower income areas in the capital.

And as part of the project implementation which initially started in Greater Accra having been successful, the sector Minister Cecilia Dapaah and Government consider it appropriate for it to be extended to other regions with Kumasi being the next bigger city it has been extended.

“In GAMA, over thirty three thousand household toilets have been completed serving over two hundred and forty beneficiaries in the low income communities in Accra”, he asserted.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com