Madam Dapaah said the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector was important to the government hence the creation of her Ministry to amongst others, ensure quick delivery of projects for the benefit of the citizenry.

The high level ministerial dialogue on inclusive policy and governance for water and sanitation was convened in Stockholm on Tuesday by the African Ministers’ Council on Water, and the African Union Commission to discuss continental level initiatives on inclusive water and sanitation policies.

Other sector Ministers that took part were from Gabon, Kenya, Lesotho amongst other African countries.

It formed part of the ongoing World Water Week (WWW) in Stockholm, Sweden convened by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) from August 25 to 30 to discuss issues pertaining to access to potable water.

Statistics has shown that 37 out of every 100 people in Africa do not have access to clean water whilst over 700 million others on the continent lack access to basic sanitation.

This presents them with many consequences, including contracting water-related diseases and disabilities, a situation, which further deepens their plight hence the high level ministerial dialogue as part of the WWW to discuss continental level initiatives on inclusive water and sanitation policies.

Madam Dapaah said over the past two and half years, government had spent about a billion dollars to increase potable water supply to both rural and urban dwellers in the country including sanitation facilities.

She also spoke about the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) Sanitation and Water Project saying it had helped to deliver household toilets to the citizenry, reiterating government’s commitment for each household to have its own toilet because it was important in improving the lives of the people.

On disability-friendly WASH, she said an inter-agency committee had been instituted, which comprised persons with disabilities (PwDs) to help ensure that WASH projects being undertaken would take into account the needs of PwDs.

Other Ministers also spoke about efforts being made to raise more funds domestically through efficient tariff collection to sustain WASH facilities and activities.

Ms Wambui Gichuri, Director, Water and Sanitation, African Development Bank, expressed the bank’s readiness to support integrated water management on the continent for improved access to WASH for rural dwellers, especially.

Ms Gichuri said there was the need for governments on the continent to employ innovation by turning waste water and faecal matter into useful resources to support development initiatives.

Mr Gustavo Saltiel, Global Lead for Water Supply and Sanitation, Water Global Practice of the World Bank, expressed the need for African governments to, within their political context, reform their institutions, policies and regulations in the WASH sector to reduce inequalities.