As Ghana joined the global community to commemorate 2025 World Toilet Day, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has called for renewed commitment to sanitation, describing it as a fundamental human right that must be accessible to every individual.
Speaking on the theme for this year’s celebration, at a news conference by the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, on 19th November 2025 in Accra, UNICEF’s Representative Madam Korama Ocran stressed that sanitation should never be viewed as a privilege but as a necessity required for dignity, safety, and healthy living.
She revealed that the world’s rapidly growing population estimated at 3.5 billion people together with the accelerating impacts of climate change, continues to mount enormous pressure on global environmental health and sanitation systems. According to her, the consequences of inadequate sanitation are most severe for women and children, who remain disproportionately exposed to health and safety risks due to the lack of proper toilet facilities.
Madam Ocran therefore called on government to prioritize sustained investment in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) projects, describing sanitation interventions as life-saving and essential for community resilience.
She further appealed to the media to intensify advocacy on sanitation, champion national conversations on hygiene, and support behavioral change campaigns. Communities were also encouraged to actively participate in efforts to make Ghana an Open Defecation Free (ODF) country through improved household sanitation and responsible environmental practices.
The 2025 World Toilet Day celebration reinforces the urgent need for collaborative action from policymakers, the private sector, development partners, and citizens to ensure that every Ghanaian enjoys access to safe, dignified, and sustainable sanitation services.
Source: Chantal Aidoo
Public Relations Unit, MLGCRA
Government has approved an amount of GH¢400 million for the construction of an Integrated Waste and Compost Plant, a major intervention expected to strengthen Ghana’s waste management system and accelerate progress toward universal access to sanitation.
This came to light at a news conference to commemorate the 2025 World Toilet Day held on Wednesday, 19th November 2025 in Accra. It was announced by the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim.
According to the Minister, the approval marks one of the boldest investments yet in the waste and sanitation sector, made by government aimed at tackling the growing pressure on environmental health, reducing open defecation, and supporting proper treatment and recycling of waste across the country.
Hon. Ibrahim emphasized that Ghana could no longer afford slow progress in sanitation delivery, noting that poor sanitation continues to carry enormous human, environmental, and economic costs. He stressed that the new plant will not only improve waste processing but also contribute to cleaner cities, job creation, and enhanced public health outcomes.
In a firm call to action, the Minister indicated that all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) have been directed to dedicate a portion of their District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) specifically for water and sanitation improvement projects.
He noted that sanitation is a shared responsibility and that Assemblies must lead with stronger enforcement, infrastructure investment, and community engagement to close the sanitation gap more rapidly.
Citing recent statistics from the Ghana Statistical Service, the Minister highlighted the urgency of the national sanitation challenge, with only twenty-five percent (25%) of households having access to basic sanitation facilities and eighteen percent (18%) of Ghanaians still practicing open defecation.
He called on households, traditional authorities, private sector actors, development partners, religious bodies and the media to support government’s renewed drive for behavioral change and infrastructure expansion.
Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim also underscored that inadequate sanitation contributes to over 25% of outpatient cases at health facilities, including diarrhoea, cholera and typhoid, underscoring the link between sanitation, health, and national productivity.
The Minister reiterated government’s unwavering commitment to achieving the theme for this year’s World Toilet Day, Accelerating Change, Toilet for All, Everyone’s Responsibility.
He expressed confidence that with sustained investment, stronger local government action, and community ownership, Ghana will take significant strides in eliminating open defecation and ensuring every citizen has access to safe, dignified sanitation.
Source: Chantal Aidoo
Public Relations Unit, MLGCRA
Ghana’s commitment to improving sanitation has taken center stage as the world marks the 2025 World Toilet Day today as the Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS) rallied government, development partners, and citizens to join forces in accelerating access to safe toilets for all.
In her submission, at a news conference in Accra, organized by the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs on Wednesday, 19th November 2025 Madam Basilia Nanbigne from underscored the urgency of confronting Ghana’s sanitation challenges with a renewed strength and unified purpose.
While applauding Ghana's impressive strides in water access which was now at Eighty-eight percent (88%), according to the Ghana Statistical Service, she expressed deep concern about the country’s sanitation outlook. The 2022 Demographic and Health Survey reports that one out of every four Ghanaians still practices open defecation. The situation is even more alarming in rural areas, where the rate stands at thirty-nine percent (39%), compared to the twelve percent (12%) in urban communities.
She emphasized that this is a national development concern that requires deliberate, collective, and sustained action, noting that open defecation poses significant public health risks and undermines national progress.
The coalition highlighted the importance of the pending 2025 Environmental Sanitation Policy, which outlines the development of a National Open Defecation Free (ODF) and Safely Managed Sanitation (SMS) Plan. The policy envisions a comprehensive roadmap toward eliminating open defecation and advancing safely managed sanitation for all Ghanaians.
Madam Nanbigne revisited key recommendations from the recent Mole 36 Conference, which commended government’s decision to allocate twenty percent (20%) of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) budgets to WASH
The conference further called for strengthening regulatory frameworks within the WASH sector, including the enactment of an Environmental Sanitation Bill to guide service delivery and establish a regulatory body to oversee compliance and coordination across Ministries and Agencies.
As Ghana marks this year’s World Toilet Day, she reiterated CONIWAS’s commitment to work closely with the Ministry and other partners to drive a coordinated, result-oriented national effort. The coalition proposed the development of a sector-wide collaborative action plan, bringing together government, development partners, NGOs, CSOs, and the private sector.
She was of the view that, with strong leadership from the Ministry and collective effort from all stakeholders, Ghana can overcome its sanitation challenges and stay on course toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Source: Stephanie Edem Klutsey
MLGCRA, Public Relations Unit.