The Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) Sanitation Project is expected to be extended to the Ashanti Region this year.
This follows the acquisition of over $125 million from the World Bank for the project implementation.
The GAMA Sanitation and Water project is a US$150 million initiative by the World Bank with the collaboration of the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources.
It seeks to help lower-income level communities have access to affordable toilet and water facilities. The Project has so far been rated as highly successful by the World Bank.
Speaking to Citi News, Sanitary Engineer for the GAMA Sanitation Coordinator, George Asiedu said his outfit is committed to chalk more successes in the new region the project will be implemented.
“The additional financing is set to replicate the project because it was such a successful project, there was no need to change the winning team but to replicate the project in the second city of Ghana which is Kumasi and also take the opportunity to expand the gains within the GAMA area itself.”
“If it is an additional financing, the approach in preparing the project is a bit different because the objectives and everything is already set and as a result of that, we were able to, through negotiations by government and the bankable to assess $125 million which is additional to the original $150 million,” he added
The operation according to the World Bank will help increase access to improved sanitation and improved water supply in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) and the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area (GKMA), with emphasis on low-income communities, and strengthen the management of environmental sanitation in the GAMA and the GKMA.
In 2015, Ghana was ranked second by WASH after Sudan in Africa for open defecation. Most households were identified without a proper toilet facility.
Failure on the part of landlords to construct washrooms in their houses, among other factors, has been linked to the practice of open defecation.
