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80,000 residents in Kumasi benefit from household toilets
Ms. Cecilia Abena Dapaah (in cap), Minister, Sanitation and Water Resources,
inspecting one of the facilities
So far 80,000 people have been provided with household toilets under the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Assemblies’ Sanitation and Water Project (GKMA-SWP) of the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources.
This followed the construction of 10,000 household toilets, since the start of the project a year and half ago.
Also, the project has awarded contracts to 129 contractors to provide 120 schools with toilets.
These came to light during a working tour of the sector Minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, to monitor the progress of work,here.
It is recalled the Minister, in November 19,2021,launched the GKMA-SWP project as part of government’s determination to provide pragmatic measures to find a lasting solution to the water and sanitation problems in the country.
The World Bank funded project is expected to construct 30,000 household toilet facilities in the GKMA before the close of the project in December 2024, with the bio-digester toilet system being the main containment technology.
It is an extension of the Greater Accra Sanitation and Water Project (GAMA- SWP), which started from 2015.
After a successful project implementation at the end of 2020, the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, with financial and technical support from the World Bank, agreed to extend the project to Greater Kumasi until the end of 2024.
In Kumasi, the project is being implemented in eight Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies(MMAs)- Asokwa, Oforikrom, old Tafo, Suame, Kwadaso, Asokore Mampong Municipal Assembly, Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) and Ejisu Municipality.
Ms. Dapaah was full of hope the target would be met as she expressed satisfaction about the contractors’ performances.
During the visits, she took her time to interact with some of the beneficiaries and stressed the importance of maintaining the facilities.
At Oforikrom, Asokwa, Ejisu-Besease,among other places visited, the institutional toilet facilities were at their completion stages.
These facilities have private places for the school girls to enable them feel comfortable to manage their menstruation safely, hygienically with confidence and dignity.
Project Coordinator, George Asiedu, stated that the total cost of the project was $125 million out of which $51,550 million has been allocated for water supply which was being managed by the Ghana Water Company Limited with the sanitation component having $73,450 million.
According to Mr. Asiedu, 67 per cent of the sanitation fund had been spent so far on the project.
He said that government had absorbed over 75 per cent of the cost of construction of the toilets which households were expected to pay only GH¢1,200.00 for a complete toilet and GH¢700.00 for biodigester if they had the toilet building already.
From Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi
The Dzidula Pink Foundation, a new organisation dedicated to cancer awareness, early detection, and patient support, has been officially launched in Accra, with a passionate call for national commitment to fighting the disease. The launch event, held last week Friday, carried the theme: “Beyond the diagnosis: A future of restoration, care and courage.”
Speaking at the event, Madam Abena Brigidi, founder and CEO of Nimed Capital Limited, emphasised that cancer remains one of the most devastating health challenges facing families across the country. “Cancer does not discriminate—it affects mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons. It drains families emotionally and financially, and behind every statistic is a human story and a future suddenly thrown into uncertainty,” she said.
Sharing her personal encounters with cancer, having lost both her husband and father to the disease, Madam Brigidi highlighted the emotional, financial, and physical scars left behind. “I stand here not just as a speaker, but as a witness to what cancer can take away,” she stated. “I have watched loved ones fight bravely, and I have felt the deep pain that loss leaves behind.”
She stressed that awareness and early detection are critical to reducing deaths, noting that many Ghanaians still lack access to proper screening, reliable information, and adequate treatment. She appealed to healthcare professionals, corporate institutions, policymakers, the media, and the general public to join hands in the fight. “Early detection saves lives. Your support today can lead to someone’s healing tomorrow,” she said.
Madam Brigidi further called for collective responsibility to sustain the foundation’s mission. “To our medical professionals, we need your expertise. To corporate partners, your resources. To the media, your voice. To policymakers, your support. And to the public, your compassion,” she urged. She also insisted that breast cancer awareness should not be limited to annual campaigns, saying, “Breast cancer awareness must not be seasonal.”
Mrs Diana Fafa Gozo, founder of the Dzidula Pink Foundation, shared her own cancer journey, describing the shock of diagnosis, the fear that followed, and the difficult path through treatment. Her experience transformed her pain into purpose and inspired her to create a foundation to ensure no cancer patient walks alone.
Mrs Gozo explained that many patients struggle not only with treatment costs but also with emotional resilience. She outlined the foundation’s initiatives, which include awareness and early detection campaigns, patient support funds, community outreach, and survival support circles. “This foundation is my offering of gratitude, courage, and compassion and a reminder that no one should walk the cancer journey alone,” she concluded.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
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The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) says it will deploy teams of Public Health Officers, members of its Sanitation Taskforce, and labourers, including sweepers and janitors, across all sub-metros to support the third National Sanitation Day exercise.
It explained that these teams will be equipped with waste collection trucks, tippers, and other tools to help with desilting, refuse collection, and transporting waste to approved disposal sites.
The AMA reminded residents that failing to comply with the sanitation directive or refusing to participate in communal labour is an offence.
It said offenders risk a fine of up to 100 penalty units, imprisonment between 30 days and six months, or both, with repeat offenders liable to additional daily penalties.
It urged all residents, traders, transport operators, market women, shop owners, landlords, tenants, and businesses to actively participate in the exercise.
The AMA said it counts on everyone’s collective responsibility to keep Accra clean, liveable, and resilient, especially as the city approaches Christmas and the New Year.
By: Jacob Aggrey
