CONIWAS Calls for Unified National Action as Ghana Observes World Toilet Day 2025

Ghana’s commitment to improving sanitation has taken center stage as the world marks the 2025 World Toilet Day today as the Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS) rallied government, development partners, and citizens to join forces in accelerating access to safe toilets for all.
In her submission, at a news conference in Accra, organized by the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs on Wednesday, 19th November 2025 Madam Basilia Nanbigne from underscored the urgency of confronting Ghana’s sanitation challenges with a renewed strength and unified purpose.
While applauding Ghana's impressive strides in water access which was now at Eighty-eight percent (88%), according to the Ghana Statistical Service, she expressed deep concern about the country’s sanitation outlook. The 2022 Demographic and Health Survey reports that one out of every four Ghanaians still practices open defecation. The situation is even more alarming in rural areas, where the rate stands at thirty-nine percent (39%), compared to the twelve percent (12%) in urban communities.
She emphasized that this is a national development concern that requires deliberate, collective, and sustained action, noting that open defecation poses significant public health risks and undermines national progress.
The coalition highlighted the importance of the pending 2025 Environmental Sanitation Policy, which outlines the development of a National Open Defecation Free (ODF) and Safely Managed Sanitation (SMS) Plan. The policy envisions a comprehensive roadmap toward eliminating open defecation and advancing safely managed sanitation for all Ghanaians.
Madam Nanbigne revisited key recommendations from the recent Mole 36 Conference, which commended government’s decision to allocate twenty percent (20%) of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) budgets to WASH
The conference further called for strengthening regulatory frameworks within the WASH sector, including the enactment of an Environmental Sanitation Bill to guide service delivery and establish a regulatory body to oversee compliance and coordination across Ministries and Agencies.
As Ghana marks this year’s World Toilet Day, she reiterated CONIWAS’s commitment to work closely with the Ministry and other partners to drive a coordinated, result-oriented national effort. The coalition proposed the development of a sector-wide collaborative action plan, bringing together government, development partners, NGOs, CSOs, and the private sector.
She was of the view that, with strong leadership from the Ministry and collective effort from all stakeholders, Ghana can overcome its sanitation challenges and stay on course toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Source: Stephanie Edem Klutsey
MLGCRA, Public Relations Unit.