The meeting convened in Wa sought to inform stakeholders in sanitation about activities being pursued by agencies to stop communities from defecating in the open and stick to cleaner hygiene.

Madam Freda Naatu, the Upper West Regional Environmental Health Officer, told journalists that the SNV Ghana started operating in Nandom and Lawra districts in 2014 to assist in ending the “menace” in the two districts.

She noted that in December 2017 Nandom attained about 90 per cent ODF, while Lawra came out with 86 per cent in the district wide rating.“Nandom is the first district which achieved this remarkable performance of 96 per cent of Open Defecation Free (ODF) district wide in the country”, she said.

The Nandom District Environmental Health Officer, Mr Jerry Sabogu Yakubu, said the district has 88 communities and 84 of them represented the 96 per cent scored the ODF, but added that the remaining four communities would be covered soon to make the district reach the 100 per cent mark.

He attributed the successes chalked out to the traditional leaders and the sanitation officers who he described as supportive.However, Mr Sabogu said Nandom communities in dispersed settlements made the construction of latrines a challenge.

Mr Jerry also said the District Assembly was expected to implement workable by-laws to ensure people who do not have latrines in their houses begin to arrange for some to help to achieve the 100 per cent ODF before the year ends.