Asantehene Commends GAMA, SWP
THE Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has commended Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) Sanitation and Water Project (SWP) for improving Water and Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) in the Greater Accra and subsequently extending it to the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area (GKMA).
The GAMA Project, funded by the World Bank, is committed to providing household toilet facilities and portable water to residents in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) and Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area (GKMA).
According to the Asantehene, the project has helped and contributed immensely in reducing open defecation and improved the total environment in their catchment areas among the beneficiary communities.
Nana Agyekum Kusi Ababio, Oyokohene of Kumasi who represented the Asantehene and received a citation on behalf of the of the overlord of the Asante Kingdom, lauded Ingineer George Asiedu, the coordinator of the project and the entire staff and the development partners who contributed in a diverse ways to ensure the success of the project in the last Nine (9) years.
He commended them for their excellent performance by demonstrating their commitment to ensure that they won trust of the World Bank’s support for the successful implementation.
Nana Agyekum also challenged the beneficiary communities and institutions to take care of the facilities by cultivating maintenance culture to ensure that the project serve the intended purpose to serve the underserved communities.
Ingineer George Asiedu, the Coordinator for GAMA Water and Sanitation Project also expressed their profound gratitude to Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and other partners for their impactful contributions and support to ensure the success of the project.
According to him, the project aims to combat poor sanitation in Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Areas to assist more people to have access to improve toilet facility for their homes and to promote healthy behavior and have access to potable water.
He disclosed that the concept was to see whether the behavior of the people can be changed to make good use of the toilet and water provided to end open defecation and also ensure they wash their hands with soap by observing all the needed protocols that came with COVID 19 pandemic.
According to him, with the support of the Asantehene, other chiefs and partners they are able to achieve the noble goal. He disclosed that ever since the start of the project in the past nine years, they did not record any significant cholera outbreak or cases in the areas they are working and that the need to extend the programme to cover other parts of the country.
Ingineer Asiedu commended all their partners including the media, MMDAs, MMDCEs and development partners who worked together to get over the challenges and making results
Dr Harold Esseku, the World Bank representative at the project, commended GAMA/GKMA WSP for the immense contributions towards Sanitation Hygiene (WASH).
He said the World Bank would continue to work assiduously and support the project to ensure that the good people of Ghana see the full benefits of WASH interventions.
He noted that, the close working relationship between the World Bank and the GAMA SWP project would enhance the achievement of cholera free and other related diseases.
He also pledged his outfit’s continue support to the Government of Ghana (GoG) to ensure that the citizenry have the best services as possible.
