The Upper West Regional Minister, Hon Alhaji Sulemana Alhassan lauded UNICEF for being a major development partner in the area of sanitation and hygiene and their support to the Government of Ghana in the development of a cost effective sanitation model based on the Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach. He said, the CLTS approach was adopted in the National Environmental Sanitation Policy (NESP) as the means of ensuring proper sanitation in rural and small towns. The Minister made this remark whiles addressing participants at a workshop on Environmental and Social Management Framework in Wa on the 31st January 2019.
Hon. Sulemana disclosed that the program is being implemented in five most deprived regions in Ghana namely, Upper West, Upper East, Northern, Volta and Central region. He said the program seeks to complement Government’s efforts in enhancing the livelihood and living conditions of the affected regions in Ghana. He added that, the Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) has been developed with the support of Green Advocacy Ghana which is to help better manage the environmental and social issues as far as CLTS implementation is concerned.
The Minister noted that, the Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) Provides the environment and social management arrangement for a sustainable implementation of the Rural Sanitation Model and Strategy (RSMS). He said this was with particular reference to activities with environmental and social implications under the model, and the corresponding environmental and social safeguard to mitigate potential cumulative impacts and risks, while enhancing opportunities and strategies.
He added that for Ghana to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
Goal 3-Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages;
Goal 6-Clean water and sanitation; and
Goal 11-Sustainable cities and communities; we must attach more seriousness to the model.
The Hon. Regional Minister pledged his commitment and that of the Regional Coordinating Council to ensuring that the Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) is implemented to improve upon the lives of the citizenry of the region. He reiterated that, Government cannot do it alone and that it requires concerted efforts of all Ghanaians to enable the president succeed in fulfilling his promise to restore hope to Ghanaians.
