Mr Frank Akuley, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana First Company, quizzed why the country should be struggling with open defecation in the current era of development and globalisation.

He said the participation of citizens in understanding the need to have toilet facilities would speed up the process of achieving an open defecation free agenda.

Mr Akuley said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) during an inspection tour of the construction of some modern toilet facilities in in the Eastern Region.

In addition, the facility would be provided with an image sensor flushing system, an automated vending machine for access control, a reception fitted with television sets and sofa seats and closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras.

Mr Akuley said the efforts to end opened defecation was a laudable initiative and that the project upon its completion would be the first of its kind in the country, hence, the target was to provide 2,000 facilities.

He said by 2025 they expect to construct 10,000 modern toilet facilities across the country.

The CEO said for now they depended on loan facilities and there was a need to include automation systems to protect the monies coming from these structures, so that the bankers would be comfortable in providing funds to carry out the projects.

Mr Akuley said among the challenges was that 95 per cent of the contractors do not read the contract agreement well, particularly the portion that talks about payment; as there were requirements and engineers needed to access the facility before payments were made.

Mr Kweku Quansah, Deputy Director, Environmental Health and Management at the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, also said the Ministry was mandated to provide technical assistance to all sanitation and water related projects in Ghana.

He said, in this regard, Ghana First Company Ltd had been certified by the Ministry to implement these projects, as such, the company had entered into a public-private partnership with metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to construct these facilities nationwide.

Mr Quansah said open defecation is a challenge where about one fifth of the population of the country do practice.

He said one of the strategies to end opened defecation was to continue encouraging everybody to own a household toilet facility.

He said there was also the ‘Toilet for All Programme at the Ministry level and that the District Assemblies were making sure that people get toilet facilities in their homes, whereas, the sanitation marketing projects seek to provide soft loans in building household toilets.

“Only 21 per cent of our populace have a place to defecate at the household level, it is very low and there is a need to step it up by encouraging every Ghanaian to own a toilet facility”, he added.

Mr Isaac Kojo Boaben, Municipal Chief Executive, Nsawam-Adoagyiri Municipality, said they are committed to support efforts that spearheads the fight against open defecation.

He said his Municipality had been declared as a cholera prone area; as such, the voluntary compliance of residents within the area was key towards achieving the open defecation free agenda.

Mr Boaben said they have signed an agreement with Ghana First Company Ltd and assigned 82 sites for the construction of these modern toilet facilities.