Speaking at a news conference in Accra, the Vice Chairman of CONIWAS, Mr. Atta Arhin said the ministry must take necessary steps to review all relevant sector policies and strategies by the end of 2019 towards the attainment of the WASH related SDGs.
He noted that the dynamic situation of the WASH sector requires periodic review of the existing laws to achieve greater outcomes in the sector.
On their part, Mr. Arhin said the Coalition will continue to expand the space for citizens’ engagement for sector policy development, dissemination, implementation and reviews.
Mr. Arhin indicated that government must expand the implementation of the Rural Sanitation Model and Strategy (RSMS) and the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach to all regions and districts in Ghana as well as resource the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) for effective implementation.
Presenting a communiqué of the Annual Mole XXIX Conference held from 5th – 9th November, 2018 at Villa Cisneros, Sogakope in the Volta Region of Ghana, he added that Government must also prioritize and increase investments and release of funds to support the implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and WASH.
Mr. Arhin call on President Akufo Addo to support the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources (MSWR) accelerate the pace of institutional reforms particularly the establishment of the National Sanitation Authority and the National Sanitation Fund and the strengthening of inter-sectorial linkages.
According to him, the Sanitation Ministry must lead in the coordination of relevant sectors and emerging institutions such as the Ministry of Special Development Initiatives, Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ministry of Monitoring and Evaluation, and Ministry of Inner Cities and Zongo Development.
He stressed that this will enable it avoid duplication of roles and achieve value for money, improve accountability and maximize the capacity utilization of existing WASH institutions.
Mr. Arhin posited that the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources should as a matter of urgency, reactivate the Sector Working Group and other coordination structures, especially the National Technical Working Group on Sanitation (NTWGS), Regional Inter-agency Coordinating Committee on Sanitation (RICCS) and the District Inter-agency Coordinating Committee on Sanitation (DICCS) across the country.
According to him, the Coalition will support and work with Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) to implement the reform agenda towards sustainable and pro-poor rural and small towns WASH services delivery.
He added that it will also mobilize a critical mass of CSOs to intensify advocacy for functional local level leadership to deliver WASH sector priorities, public financing for WASH, and implementation of international commitments;
Mr. Arhin emphasized that the Coalition will continue to develop capacities to generate evidence to support informed advocacy and effective policy decision-making.
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Source: Modernghana.com
