The GAMA had identified sanitation and water financing as one of the impeding factors for people to acquire toilets and other sanitary facilities for their households.Participants at the workshop were drawn from the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs), micro-finance institutions, entrepreneurs in toilet construction and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.

Professor William Steel, a Research Fellow of the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) of the University of Ghana, who is the resource person, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said the research indicated that; “though landlords recognise their legal responsibility to provide toilet facilities for their households, they could not afford the cost.”

He said the lack of the enforcement of bye-laws on sanitation by the MMDAs was another major contributory factor for households not adhering to the provision of sanitary facilities. Participants were of the view that there was the need to develop special sanitation and water financing packages that would accelerate provision of toilet facilities for households.

“A revolving fund should be instituted by the Government through donor funding in order to assist households to have access to financial support which the repayment should be in instalments, to help build toilets and other facilities,” Alhaji Haruna Salam, the Co-ordinating Director of LaDMA, said.

He called on the assemblies to step up their law enforcement strategies to compel landlords to make provision for toilets in their homes. On behalf of the participants, Mr Salam gave an assurance that they would collaborate with stakeholders to ensure good sanitation in the communities.