Gama Needs More Funding-Project Coordinator

By Malik Sullemana

With barely one year to the completion of the World Bank $150 million funded project for the provision of water and toilet facilities to low income communities in Greater Accra, the project coordinator has appealed for additional funding to sustain it.

Mr George Asiedu, Project Coordinator of the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area Sanitation and Water Project (GAMA-SWP) in justifying the need for more financial support noted there were more potential beneficiaries waiting to be provided with the facilities.

Mr Asiedu was speaking to the Ghanaian Times on Tuesday on the sideline of a meeting organised by the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources ,to brief staff of the Ministry of Finance on progress made on the project in Accra.

The GAMA-SWP boss said so far, about 22, 346 household toilets had been constructed for a number of low- middle- income communities exceeding the 19,100 initial target.

At the initial stage of the subsidised project, Mr Asiedu said that beneficiaries paid between GH¢1,000 and GH¢2,000 for the household toilets depending on the size and specification of the facility.

However, he stated that the toilets were later sold between GH¢600 and GH¢1,200 as the subsidy was increased from 50-70 per cent.

Touching on provision of institutional toilet facilities, he said the project had constructed 260 toilets way above the 50 toilets earmarked.

On provision of potable water, he told the Ghanaian Times that about 250,000 people had been provided with water.

He said GAMA-SWP had connected more than 5,879 households, exceeding the original target of 3,500 connections and added that about 7,000 potential beneficiaries had registered and were waiting to be connected.

Asked what the achievements of the project were, he mentioned that additional request in beneficiary communities for provision of toilets and water was indicative that the project was successful.

Again, he observed that due to intensified education on 'open defecation' the country had not recorded the perennial cholera outbreak for the past two years because the people were observing good hygiene practices.

Mr Asiedu called for attitudinal change and urged the various assemblies to enforce sanitation by-laws to the letter.

Mrs Sauda Ahmed Seinu, Principal Economics Officer, Head of World Bank Group Unit at the Ministry of Finance commended the implementing agency and suggested that the project be replicated in other areas.

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