The Middle Belt Development Authority (MBDA) is to provide public toilets in deprived communities to end open defecation in five operational regions under the government’s US$One-Million-One Constituency programme.
Mr Joe Danquah, the Chief Executive Officer of the MBDA has said, saying the Authority had undertaken needs assessment and it would construct more public toilets in lacking communities to end open defecation for improved sanitation in those areas.
Mr Danquah said this when he inaugurated development projects including classroom blocks, toilets and Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) Compound in some communities in the Techiman North District of the Bono Region.
The Tuobodom Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Primary, Buoyem Methodist Primary, the local SDA Primary and Methodist Primary Schools at Offuman and Buoyem Methodist Primary Schools benefited from three-unit classroom blocks, while a CHPS Compound was constructed at Mesidan.
Earlier, the Ghana News Agency (GNA) gathered open defecation was normal at the Tuobodom Mission in the Dompoase Electoral Area, and the Offuman Zongo community because of lack of public toilets.
Some residents including women and children in the two localities who lived in houses without toilets attended to nature’s call in bushes around the neighbourhoods, a situation which had worsened the poor sanitary condition in the areas.
Hence some of the women could not hide their joy when Mr. Danquah handed over a 10-seater water-closet toilet facility for each of the communities constructed by the MBDA at the cost of GHC342,000.00.
Mr. Danquah explained the MBDA through the US$One-Million-One Constituency programme was determined to identify and address social needs to make life comfortable for the people, particularly those in deprived communities.
He assured beneficiary communities which would take good care of the projects could benefit from more development projects under the programme.
On behalf of the residents, Mr Nicholas Sarkodie, the Assemblyman for Dompoase Electoral Area, expressed appreciation to the MBDA and hoped the Authority would further construct more of the toilets in other localities in the area.
He noted open defecation remained a daunting sanitary challenge in the electoral area, and appealed to the District Assembly to also support in addressing the problem.
Describing the old structure as appalling and discouraging, Madam Jamilatu Haruna, a Midwife in-charge of the Mesidan CHPS Compound expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the Authority, saying the residential quarters attached to the new CHPS Compound would motivate nurses to accept postings to serve in that community.
Established in 2017 by ACT 962 of Parliament, the MBDA exercises its mandate in five regions- Ashanti, Bono East, Ahafo, Bono and Eastern and it is the main vehicle for spearheading the development of these regions.
