A Delegation from STMA Visits Accra for Horizontal Learning with GAMA SWP Stakeholders
by STMA / April 19th, 2024 /
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A delegation from Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) embarked on a two-day official visit to Accra to learn from the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area Sanitation and Water Project (GAMA SWP) implemented in Greater Accra Metropolitan Area. Led by the Mayor of Sekondi-Takoradi, Hon. Abdul-Mumin Issah, the 12-member team was made up of 10 technocrats from the Assembly, co-chair of STMA OGP Multi-Stakeholder Forum, Mrs. Victoria Araba Dennis and Mr. Thomas Asare, member of STMA OGP Multi-Stakeholder Forum. Welcoming the delegation at GAMA SWP offices, the project Coordinator, Ing George Asiedu, commended the STMA for the decision to learn the best practices and the challenges from its peers to avoid pitfalls in implementing related projects

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He noted that the GAMA project focused on increasing access to improved household and institutional toilets, as well as extension of piped water connections to people living in low-income communities. “The GAMA Project is in charge of delivering the toilets to the beneficiary households and institutions, and Ghana Water Company is working on the water component”, he said. Mr. Asiedu further noted that the project chose to provide bio-digester technology because of lack of space and the income levels of the target beneficiaries. He stated that the technology requires minimal space and is very affordable, and so far, 43,608 toilets have been constructed,benefitting 562,373 people. The Project Coordinator stated that the project has achieved significant successes by reducing open defecation cases, cholera and other sanitation-related disease outbreaks. He emphasized that the project team paid attention to institutional strengthening and capacity building through regular training and sensitization of stakeholders, including Environmental Health Officers, Traditional Authorities, Assembly Members, Journalists, beneficiary households and schools.

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Mr. Aseidu noted that the successes chalked in Accra got the government of Ghana and the financiers, World Bank, to scale up the project to include the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area in 2021. He added that the Greater Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Area has already beenearmarked for the next phase of the project. The delegation was taken on a tour at some of the project sites and paid courtesy calls on the Chief Executives of Metropolitan and Ashaiman Municipal Assemblies. The GAMA project coordinators at both Assemblies shared their experiences with the delegation. They expressed their readiness to collaborate with the STMA to improve sanitation in their respective Assemblies. The delegation was taken on a tour of two sewerage facilities constructed by the project at Ashiaman and Bankuman in Ashiaman Municipality and Tema Metropolis, respectively. Both facilities have been constructed to ensure the disposal of treated effluent in a sustainable manner to reduce sanitation-related public health issues.

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The Mayor of Sekondi-Takoradi, Hon. Abdul-Mumin Issah, thanked the GAMA SWP team, Tema Metro and Ashiaman Municipal for their time and knowledge shared. He noted that STMA is poised to learn the best practices from sister Assemblies as part of measures to transform Sekondi-Takoradi. He promised to deepen the relationship with the three institutions. The horizontal learning with GAMA stakeholders’ forms part of the OGP Co-WASH Project, funded by a grant from the OGP Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF), managed by the World Bank. The project aims to improve the delivery of WASH services and scale up behavioural change campaigns in informal settlements within the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis through a multi-stakeholder participatory approach. The activities of the project include the development of a publicly accessible household WASH registry, co-creating a 5-year strategic plan for WASH in low-income communities, capacity building, and training on integrated planning of sanitation services with community participation and strengthening multi-stakeholder engagement platform.


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