News:
February 10, 2020
Country Director of the World Bank Office in Ghana, Pierre Jean Laporte has called on the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources Cecelia Abena Dapaah as part of his supervisory mission on the implementation of the GAMA Sanitation and Water Project.
These include the Sustainable Rural Water and Sanitation Project (SRWSP) and the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project which has been signed pending effectiveness.
According to Mr Laporte, the World Bank is fully committed to providing all support that is needed to the sanitation sector including facilitating the transfer of experiences from other countries in the region to enable the country meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) especially goal 6.2 which focuses on sanitation.
Mr. Pierre Jean told the Sanitation and Water Resources Minister he expect the Ministry to speed up the institutionalization and operationalization of the proposed National Sanitation Authority which was announced by H. E Dr. Bawumia, the Vice President some months ago.
“The establishment of the Authority is a critical step towards the organization of a coordinated sector”, he said.
Also the Bank’s agreement to extend the project closing date by seven months and further provide an additional financing of One Hundred and Sixty Million dollars to upscale the project to the other regions of the country.
However, the Ministry must follow up with a formal request and immediately complete a project preparation plan. Again, the financing intent of the Bank includes upgrading of an existing fecal sludge treatment plant at Nungua-farms.
The Country Director also mentioned the need for the Ministry to seriously put in place measures to ensure the sustainability of the 406 institutional school sanitation facilities provided under the GAMA Project.
He said the facilities provided are disability friendly and menstrual hygiene considerate but their successful operation and maintenance involves mobilization of funds. And therefore entreated the Ministry to clarify the responsibility of the operation and maintenance arrangements in the context of the free education policy.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com