According to Ghana News Agency:ccording to Ghana News Agency, the RICCS has highlighted the necessity of having gazetted sanitation bylaws at the district and municipal levels to enhance regional sanitation. However, the committee noted that the financial burden of gazetting these bylaws has hindered progress, with only the Nandom and Lambussie Districts having successfully done so, thanks to support from the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV).

During a meeting in Wa, Mr. Puozuing pledged to aid the RICCS in lobbying for assistance from development partners and NGOs in the sanitation sector to fund the gazetting process. He emphasized the importance of collaboration, stating, “Gazetting the bylaws should not be a problem. Let us get all the districts to put their bylaws together. If we have them together, we can get some organisations or NGOs to support us to gazette them.”

The minister also called on the RICCS to prepare for the upcoming National Sanitation Day, which President John Dramani Mahama is set to launch, as part of efforts to intensify the sanitation campaign in the region. He recommended strategies such as increased media engagement and stakeholder partnerships, and suggested adopting a campaign slogan like ‘See Something, Say Something’ to bolster public involvement.

Concerns about inadequate sanitation and the absence of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities in schools and communities were raised by stakeholders at the meeting. In a presentation, Madam Freda Naatu, the Upper West Regional Director of the Environmental Health and Sanitation Department, pointed out that some food vendors and caterers were not undergoing the necessary health screenings as mandated by the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851). She called for closer collaboration between the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Ghana Health Service, and local assemblies to ensure compliance.

Madam Naatu also highlighted the importance of revisiting pro-poor interventions to assist vulnerable populations in acquiring resilient latrines, noting that financial constraints prevent some willing individuals from installing household latrines. She reaffirmed the department’s commitment to improving sanitation with support from its partners.