The newly released 2026–2029 Composite Budget of the West Gonja Municipal Assembly has laid bare the depth of the sanitation crisis facing the Municipality, revealing that only 20 percent of the total population has access to any form of approved toilet facility.
The budget document, prepared under the Programme Based Budget Estimates for 2026, further discloses that just 34 out of the 78 communities in the Municipality have so far been declared Open Defecation Free (ODF), leaving the majority of communities still practising open defecation.
Access to safe drinking water is also a major concern. The report indicates that only about 51 percent of the Municipality’s population has access to sustainable and safe drinking water sources, with more than 60 percent of the water-fetching population spending between 30 minutes and over an hour to reach a water source.
The Assembly, in the budget, listed the “high prevalence of open defecation and general poor sanitation condition” as the number one key issue confronting West Gonja, ahead of challenges such as haphazard settlement patterns, inadequate drinking water facilities, and deforestation from charcoal burning.
Despite the challenges, the Assembly reported some progress in the outgoing year. Under the Environmental Health and Sanitation Services sub-programme, eight refuse dump sites were evacuated across the Municipality, while four institutional latrines at DASS, the Nursing Training College, and NDESCO were dislodged. The Assembly also organised clean-up campaigns and observed sanitation days to promote hygiene awareness.
The West Gonja Municipal Assembly has set an ambitious target to raise the number of Open Defecation Free communities from 34 to 54 out of 78 by the end of 2026, with a medium-term goal of covering all 78 communities by 2029.
To achieve this, the budget earmarks substantial funding for sanitation. Under the DACF funding source alone, GH¢2,379,297 has been allocated to Environmental Health and Sanitation Services for 2026, covering solid waste management (GH¢430,000), liquid waste management (GH¢120,000), and general environmental sanitation management (GH¢728,000). An additional GH¢181,142 from the Assembly’s Internally Generated Fund (IGF) has been set aside for the construction of toilet facilities.
Among the new projects proposed for the medium term is the construction of a public urinal at the Busunu Market, budgeted at GH¢181,142 under IGF and currently at the concept note stage.
The Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit, which drives these interventions through Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) and Open Defecation Free campaigns, operates with a staff strength of 12 and continues to battle challenges including inadequate sanitation facilities and low public awareness, according to the budget document.
The Assembly says improving sanitation remains central to its broader goal of reducing the incidence of communicable diseases and promoting healthy living across West Gonja Municipality.
