Ghana’s poor sanitation conditions kill children every 15 seconds

A section of invited school children to commemorate 2013 world toilet day

By Nathaniel Y. Yankson

Available statistics suggest that every one gram of human faeces contain ten million viruses with one million bacteria. Hence Ghana’s inability to stamp out open defecation and dispose waste in a proper manner is leading to the death of a child in the country every fifteen seconds.

Ghana needs 118 yrs to meet sanitation MDGS – Report

Source: WaterAid Ghana

The millennium development goals (MDGS) are barely two years to the 2015 deadline but the current national sanitation crisis which is at pegged at a staggering 15 percent as against the 54 percent MDGs benchmark. This means that in order for Ghana to reverse the situation, concerted efforts are needed from all stakeholders, a civil society report has indicated.

Sugary drinks linked to womb cancer

Source: Daily Mail

Soft drinks laden with sugar could raise a woman’s risk of developing womb cancer, claim researchers.

They said those who downed the highest amounts were 78 per cent more likely to suffer from the disease as those who did not.

Eating nuts “may prolong life” – Medicine Journal

Source: BBC

People who regularly eat nuts appear to live longer, according to the largest study of its kind.

How to use law to make foreign investment work for sustainable development

Source: IIED

The International Institute of Environmental Development (IIED) has published a handbook that shows how government officials and civil society organisations in low and middle-income countries can use legal tools to ensure foreign investments contribute to sustainable development.

Technology to produce electricity, water introduced

Source: APO

Schneider Electric, the market leader in energy management with operations in more than 100 countries, has inaugurated the MiCROSOL project aims to develop a single, modular standard technology for producing electricity, drinking water and heat simultaneously, primarily to benefit micro-industries located in rural areas of countries with high levels of sunshine, especially in Africa.

Ghana launches waste segregation project

Waste segregation

Source: GNA

The Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Zoomlion, have launched a national waste segregation programme to encourage separation of wastes at source.

Fund to support water, sanitation initiatives in perspective

Source: WSA

The water and sanitation challenges are immense and require the mobilization of more funds, collaboration and mutualisation of best practices.

High level forum 2013 responds to water, sanitation challenges

Participants at the 2013 High Level forum on water and sanitation

Source: Globalnewsreel.com

According to the Prime Minister of Côte d’Ivoire, HE Danial Komlan Duncan, who officially opened High Level Forum on water and sanitation in Abidjan, Africa cannot remain indifferent while seventy percent of hospital beds are occupied by persons suffering from preventable water and sanitation related illnesses despite the efforts being made by various countries.

USAID sponsors Abidjan high level WASH forum

Source: Globalnewsreel.com

The Pan African Inter-governmental Agency Water and Sanitation for Africa in collaboration with the government of Côte d'Ivoire organized the third High Level Forum on Water and Sanitation for All.

Health ministry, Guinness provides water for Maamobi hospital

Source: GNA

The Ministry of Health (MOH) and Guinness Ghana Breweries Limited (GGBL), have inaugurated an integrated water delivery system for the Maamobi Hospital in Accra.