Sagnarigu Municipal Assembly Tops 2024 Baobab WASH Awards
Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources (second from left), presenting the award to Mohammed Yakubu Ahmed, the Chief Executive of the Sagnarigu Municipal Assembly.
The Sagnarigu Municipal Assembly in the Northern Region was named the overall Best at the 2024 Baobab District WASH Awards, held in Accra last Friday.
The assembly outperformed 30 other Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) from six regions in the Northern and Oti regions, earning recognition for its dedication to providing sustainable WASH services for the well-being of the local population.
The assembly was awarded a motorbike, two laptops, two tablets, a plaque, and a citation.
As part of the reward, the assembly will be linked with corporate entities to explore potential partnerships for WASH services.
Additionally, it will participate in international WASH conferences to learn and showcase the impact of best practices in WASH.
Other MMDAs were also acknowledged for their contributions to advancing access to WASH services in their respective areas.
The award scheme not only acknowledges effective performance typically expected of a local government authority but also highlights the achievement of exceptional outcomes that have a significant, positive impact on the delivery of sustainable WASH services for residents.
The event was themed “Defining the path for water, sanitation and hygiene as a national development priority”.
It formed part of the USAID Enhancing WASH Activity which is being implemented by two NGOs, the Global Community in partnership with World Vision Ghana.
In her keynote address, the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Lydia Seyram Alhassan, praised USAID, World Vision Ghana, and Global Communities for their innovation and dedication in ensuring that “this beautiful idea” of motivating districts to fulfill their statutory mandate remained active.
She mentioned that all available concrete evidence shows that Ghana’s development depends on advancing human capital by improving sanitation, water, health, and education.
The minister urged assemblies to leverage WASH programs to enhance the health of children and mothers and address environmental risk factors that could prevent them from benefiting from improved health.
In a speech delivered on her behalf, the National Director of World Vision Ghana, Laura Cristina Del Valle said that World Vision believes nothing was more crucial to child well-being than access to safe drinking water, improved sanitation, and hygiene.
She expressed World Vision’s commitment to making a difference by bringing hope and justice to all children and their families, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable.
The acting Mission Director of USAID, Grace Lang, on her part said the US was Ghana’s largest bilateral development partner, adding that in 2023, bilateral support from USAID amounted to over $140 million, allocated to WASH, economic growth, agriculture, health, education, and other areas.
She noted that genuine, lasting change was founded on robust partnerships.
BY RAISSA SAMBOU
