The second edition of the annual Baobab District WASH Awards, aimed at motivating Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to prioritise investments in creating universal access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) for their residents, was launched in Accra on Wednesday.
The award scheme is under the “Enhancing WASH (EN -WASH) Activity,” and a collaboration between the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, the National Development Planning Commission, the Local Government Service, USAID, World Vision Ghana, and Global Communities.
Districts in the five Northern regions and Oti Region, noted for low access to clean drinking water and improved sanitation will participate in the competition.
Launching the awards, Lydia Seyram Alhassan, Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, lauded the sector players for instituting such an award in the WASH sector to motivate MMDAs to do more to ensure universal access to WASH in their respective jurisdictions.
Madam Alhassan said the time was ripe for Ghana to consider new pathways to deliver sustainable and universal access to WASH.
The minister observed that the WASH sector is a catalyst for growth and socio-economic development, which requires prioritization of investment and constant retooling to deliver on its mandate.
“We need effective leadership and innovation, better coordination, increased prioritization, and improved financing and regulation for sustainable WASH service delivery in Ghana,” Madam Alhassan said.
She added, “We also need compliance and enforcement, as well as workable pro-poor policies and behavioural change communication strategies for sustainable WASH service delivery in Ghana.”
The minister said that despite the many good initiatives introduced by the government and development partners, “there are still some challenges, and hence a lot remains to be done to achieve sanitation and water for all, as enshrined in our WASH sector vision.”
“We need all hands on deck to support and sustain our collective efforts towards the provision of WASH services.”
“This is the surest way to ensure improved health outcomes, increased productivity, socio-economic development, and the general well-being of citizens,” she urged.
The En-WASH programme seeks to strengthen the management systems in the sector to promote strong institutions for the sustainability of WASH products and services.
In her welcome remarks, Laura Cristina Del Valle, National Director of World Vision Ghana, explained that the Baobab was chosen for the awards scheme because the Baobab tree is often described as the tree of life.
Madam Del Valle added that the baobab tree represents strength, versatility, adaptability, and resilience.
“These are attributes we expect Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies to demonstrate in their efforts towards accelerated WASH services delivery.
