Nearly two in three people in Ghana’s Upper East Region still lack access to a toilet facility, leaving communities exposed to public health hazards as a major regional development deadline approaches. The stark figure of 63 per cent practising open defecation was disclosed by World Vision Ghana at a leadership summit in Bolgatanga, drawing fresh scrutiny to the country’s lagging progress toward global sanitation goals.
Speaking at the Regional Hygiene and WASH Leadership Summit 2026, World Vision Ghana Interim National Director Joshua Baidoo warned that the widespread lack of basic sanitation threatens both public health and Ghana’s efforts to meet Sustainable Development Goal Six. As reported by the Ghanaian Times, Target 6.2 of the SDG framework mandates adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all by 2030, alongside a complete end to open defecation and a specific focus on vulnerable groups.
The summit, convened under the theme “Be a Handwashing Hero – From Awareness to Action: Accelerating Infrastructure, Policy and Financing for Hygiene,” brought together regional leaders to push past rhetoric and secure concrete commitments. Baidoo stressed that the gathering would hold little value unless its resolutions translated into tangible infrastructure, policy changes, and direct financing on the ground.
Public Health Stakes and Economic Productivity
Outlining the immediate benefits of basic hygiene, Baidoo described handwashing with soap as one of the most cost-effective public health measures available. He noted that the intervention requires minimal time yet yields wide-ranging protective effects.
A simple act that takes less than a minute can prevent disease, reduce child mortality, improve school attendance, protect healthcare environments, and contribute significantly to economic productivity and national development,
Baidoo told participants.
Despite years of investment by World Vision Ghana and its development partners, the scale of the challenge remains immense. Baidoo pointed out that millions of people across Africa, including households within local communities in the Upper East Region, continue to live without basic handwashing facilities, reliable water services, or adequate sanitation.
Government Invests in Water Infrastructure to Address Crisis
Upper East Regional Minister Donatus Atanga Akamugri acknowledged during the summit that successive governments had failed to adequately address the water, sanitation, and hygiene crisis. However, he stated that the National Democratic Congress-led administration under President John Dramani Mahama is actively investing in water infrastructure for communities facing acute shortages.
Akamugri emphasized that lasting progress relies on alignment between the government, development partners, and academic institutions. He pledged that his administration would deepen its collaboration with World Vision Ghana.
The Regional Minister urged corporate bodies and sanitation advocates to align their efforts with the Prosperity through Enterprise, Agriculture, Resilience and Livelihoods (PEARL) Framework, a 10-year development plan established for the region. Neither Baidoo nor Akamugri specified the exact financial commitments or timelines for delivering the planned infrastructure investments.
