He said the country’s deplorable state of sanitation reduced productivity, increases government budget for the health sector and affected tourism promotion, which in effect reduce revenue mobilization for the country.

Mr Ashitey said this on Wednesday at the inauguration of the ‘Praxis Africa Clean up the World Ghana Campaign’ in Accra. The Minister said the issue of sanitation was a challenge facing the development of the Greater Accra Region and the country as a whole.

He said access to basic sanitation was a human right, and statistics indicated that, only 14 per cent of Ghanaians have access to such basic right, which was not the best in achieving government’s sanitation objective. Mr Ashitey said government was working with the private sectors to introduce policies that would affect the attitudes of the general public, one of which the ‘Clean up Ghana Campaign’ was an example.

“I am well-informed that, ‘Clean up the World’ is a global environment programme, which engages an estimated number of about 35 million volunteers to inspire and empower people to clean up, fix up, and conserve the environment,” he said.

He commended Praxis Africa and its partners for championing such initiative, and that, it was in pursuant with President Nana Addo’s aim of making Accra the cleanest city in Africa by 2020, and ultimately attaining the objective of Sustainable Development Goal six.

“It is in this light that government, through the Sanitation Ministry, launched the National Guideline Policy Framework Document on Sanitation, aimed at targeting the poor and vulnerable for accessing basic sanitation services in the country,” he said. Mr Tony Mensah-Abrampah, the Country Director of Praxis Africa, said, the campaign was a three-month sanitation event, under the auspices of the Ministry of Sanitation, and Water Resources, the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council, and the United Nations Environmental Protection Unit.

He said the campaign would educate the public on sanitation laws, environmental preservation, waste management and recycling and improve household toilet facilities construction in the Greater Accra.

The unveiling of the campaign was attended by the Metropolitan Assembly Chief Executives as well as Jakora Vetures, a private waste management company, partners for the campaign and other key stakeholders in the sanitation sector.

By Kodjo Adams/Emmanuel Kwame Donkor, GNA