The government appears bent on using innovative approaches in addressing the sanitation situation in the country as it has project seed funding of ten thousand dollars for some youth as they apply ICT solutions to sanitation challenges.
Earlier in November, the Ministry for Sanitation and Water Resources through its Greater Accra Metropolitan Assembly (GAMA) Sanitation and Water Project in partnership with the World Bank had launched a Sanitation Hackathon which brought together IT professionals to develop a technological solution to problems within a specific timeline.
After over a thousand applications, some three hundred where shortlisted. 35 teams where subsequently drawn to compete for the funding.
The 3-day event had contestants camped for three days as they worked nonstop brainstorming and developing solutions that would help fix the many sanitation issues that constantly bedevil the country.
Liquid Waste Programs Manager at the Sanitation Ministry, Henrietta Osei-Tutu told Citi News “the objective of this Hackathon is to provide a good avenue for us harness and latch on to improve our gains and also leapfrog our progress towards improved sanitation. Sanitation in Ghana is lagging tremendously; both liquid waste and solid waste. Also access to toilets. So the Hackathon will help us address these issues in our homes, communities and the country as a whole.”
At the end of the event the NsuApp team came out first with their business model that seeks to use funds generated from the sale of packaged water to fund the recycling of its plastic by-product.
They were followed by the Beamers, an online sanitation advocacy and education platform and then finally SaniGh who worked on a Liquid Waste service tool that updates households on the level of slug in their septic tanks.
During a courtesy call by the winning teams at the office of the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Dapaah, she indicated that the government is committed to empowering the youth in the country.
“…The future is bright under this government, you can see and feel the passion of His Excellency the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo,. He is there for the youth. The 100,000 jobs of NABCO, YEA continuation and improvement, MASLOC- the youth will be will be encouraged into entrepreneurship, Sanitation and Water Resources Ministry, Planting for food and jobs, 1D1F all these are geared towards the youth.”
The GAMA Sanitation and Water Project is $150 million sponsorship by the World Bank with the collaboration of the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources to help lower income level communities to have access to affordable toilet and water facilities.
Presently over 13,000 household toilets have been constructed since 2014 and the project is currently ranked as highly successful by the World Bank.
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By: Michael Ogbodu/citinewsroom.com/Ghana