The MCE for West Gonja Hon Karim Musah Kusubari has charged the Honourable Assembly Members of West Gonja Municipal Assembly to be examples to their constituents in the municipality’s efforts to achieving an open defecation free status.
The MCE made this call when he was presenting his coordinated report during the 1st ordinary general assembly meeting of the 1st session of the 9th assembly of the West Gonja Municipal Assembly held on Thursday, 29th August, 2024 at the Municipal Assembly Conference Hall.
According to Hon. Musah Kusubari, development partners of the West Gonja Municipality such as Global Communities are working closely with the Environmental Health Unit in 15 communities in the municipality to help make them open defecation free, however, the response from the teams on the ground is not encouraging as most of the community members are not ready to change.
Hon Kusubari added that World Vision through the Vision Fund in partnership with the Environmental Health Unit have so far provided 157 household toilets to 10 communities including Mempeasem, Tailorpe, Jonokponto, and Mognori and that efforts are still ongoing to complete that of Bonyanto, Kpiri No.2, Abukarikura, Bawakura and Mole communities.
The MCE lamented that the West Gonja Municipality can only boast of 34 out of 78 communities attaining open defecation free status and that the hazards of open defecation to health, education and productivity cannot be overemphasized.
Hon. Musah Kusubari said this calls for concerted efforts from Hon. Assembly Members, Unit Committee members, Heads of Departments, Traditional Authorities, the Media and all and sundry to support the ODF campaign to free Damongo, the Savannah Regional Capital and its surrounding communities from open defecation.
Listen to an Audio Recording of the full presentation of the MCE at the General Assembly Meeting
