According to David Duncan, the Chief of WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) at the UNICEF office in Ghana, most people in the three regions of the North do not see a toilet as a necessity because open defecation has been the practice for generations.

“For many people in Ghana, this is just normal, particularly in the north of the country where about three in every four households actually have to go into the bush for toilet. For them it’s normal, it’s been the way of life for generations. So there is a real complete change which is required for people to move from some of the things they consider as normal, an everyday living to  changing that to actually building a toilet and using a toilet.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”daglrn6H7bSgT3RvounE8IeB8cJR2GxQ”]Mr. Duncan made the revelation on the Citi Breakfast Show on the backdrop of reports that the World Bank is “unhappy that many Ghanaians still lacked access to basic sanitary facilities, particularly household toilets.”

Ghana was in 2015 ranked second by WASH after Sudan in Africa for open defecation, with 19 percent of its population resorting to that kind of sanitation practice.

Within the same year, the World Health Organization also ranked Ghana as 7^th dirtiest country in the world.

Cause(s) of poor sanitation performance

According to Mr. Duncan, the issue of poor sanitation in Ghana is due to lack of priority on the part of the country.

“We just don’t see sanitation as important as how the country is doing,” he added.

The WASH Chief also said the only way open defecation could be stopped is for every household to have its own toilet.

“It really comes down to commitment by government and the people to change things. The only countries that are doing well from Africa are those who are really struggling in many cases, just like the country. If you look at Senegal as compared to Ghana, more than every two households have their own toilets but in Ghana it is one in seven,” he noted.

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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post ‘Most Ghanaians consider open defecation normal’ – Sanitation specialist appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Nana Akufo-Addo entreated President Mahama to eschew ethnic politics and tell Ghanaians what the NDC administration has been able to do for the people of the North in the last eight years in office.

Barely 16 days to this year’s crucial general election, President Mahama is reported to be engaging in ethnic politics in the northern part of the country to get votes.

“I pity Northerners who are calling for change,” President Mahama, a northerner, told residents of Lawra in the Upper West Region when toured the area as part of his campaign for a renewed mandate.

He reportedly called on Northerners not to vote for Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP, because they hate people from the north, adding “they will use you and dump you.”

But addressing a rally at Akim Oda in the Eastern Region as part of his campaign tour, the NPP presidential candidate described President Mahama’s statements as unfortunate.

Nana Akufo-Addo said these are ethnocentric comments by a President who has no plans of presiding over a unified country, and he is willing to say and do anything to win an election.

“With the signs clearly spelt on the wall that he (President Mahama) has lost the Presidency, he has begun using divisive language in his campaign. He is in the North telling the people that because he is from the North, the people should vote for him. This is sad.

“It is sad and shocking that our President will prefer not to use language that brings people together, but is rather using language that will divide us. I will not come before you and tell you to vote for me because I am from the Eastern Region or from Okyeman. I will never do that. The policies I have outlined over the course of my campaign should be the basis of your voting for me,” Nana Akufo-Addo stated.

According to him, President Mahama is embarking on a divisive and tribal-based campaign because of his inability to defend his 8-year record in office and has no campaign message to the people of the North.

Nana Akufo-Addo pointed out that, the Mahama administration has disappointed the people of the North, as evidenced in the scandals that have rocked the Savannah Acceleration Development Authority (SADA).

“You (President Mahama) say you are from the North, and you are asking people to vote for you on that basis. However, it is under your tenure of office that the people of the North have been further impoverished. The levels of poverty in the North are truly unprecedented. Monies from SADA have been squandered, monies which were to be used to develop the North have vanished,” he said.

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By: Awudu Mahama/ghelections.com/Ghana

The post Stop the dirty tribal politics- Nana Addo to Mahama appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.