As of the end of 2023, the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area Sanitation and Water Project (GKMA-SWP) has successfully constructed 10,917 household toilet facilities in its operational areas. Since its commencement in late 2020, the project has built a total of 16,720 toilet facilities, achieving 56% of its targeted 30,000 household toilets set to be completed by December 2024.
Mr. George Asiedu, the Project Coordinator of GKMA-SWP, expressed optimism about the team's ability to complete an additional 13,280 facilities in 2024, reaching the project's ultimate goal. The initiative, funded by a US$125 million grant from the World Bank, is executed by the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources.
The primary objective of GKMA-SWP is to enhance access to improved sanitation and water supply in the Greater Kumasi area, particularly focusing on low-income communities. The project initially covered eight municipalities in Greater Kumasi and has been partially extended to eight other peripheral communities to bolster sanitation in the region.
Mr. Asiedu emphasized the team's commitment to constructing an average of 1,022 household toilets per month in 2024 to accelerate project completion. The project's components include increasing sanitation services in priority low-income areas, providing support for household toilets, school and healthcare sanitation facilities, and connecting households to the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) water system.
Eligible low-income households receive 70% of the cost of household toilets, contributing to the overall improvement of sanitation services in the region. The project also involves expanding the water distribution network, laying approximately 120 km of pipeline, and connecting 10,000 new households to the GWCL water system. Additionally, efforts are directed towards enhancing sanitation services, including investments in wastewater and septic sludge management, liquid waste management planning, and the establishment of bio-digester sludge processing plants.