She said ensuring sustainable funding for WASH activities by earmarking a specific percentage of budget to the sector would help other stakeholders such as non-governmental organisations to plan activities towards making progress in the WASH sector.

Madam Nyaku made the appeal during a day’s Media for WASH in National Development training workshop for journalists in Tamale, aimed at building the capacity of participants to highlight WASH issues in the country.

Statistics indicate poor sanitation practices amongst many of the citizenry with majority lacking access to improved household toilet facilities, thereby resorting to open defecation.

Madam Nyaku said WASH issues affected all aspects of society, hence the need to prioritize such issues to ensure a safe and hygienic environment for all to enable the country to attain the Sustainable Development Goals on sanitation.

She said: “We cannot continue to rely on assistance from development partners to address our WASH issues because such assistance is no more coming, since we are now a middle income country.” Participants designed strategies to promote WASH issues for improved sanitation practices in the country.