Ways to Make Sanitation Sustainable

Kofi Yeboah, communications officer, Clean Team Ghana, Kumasi, Ghana. @kofiemeritus

Recognise sanitation as a basic necessity: Progress is slow, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa because governments do not see sanitation as a basic necessity in the way they see water and electricity. Sanitation should be planned as a utility service that works for all.The NGO approach is no longer working: If it were Ghana would have been better off in sanitation challenges. There is a need for the social enterprise model for sanitation which focuses on making social impact at an affordable cost as well as creating jobs for local people.

Jesse Shapiro, Wash and sanitation advisor, USAid, Washington DC, USA. @USAID

Beware of the complicated nature of the sector: This has been one major reason for its poor performance as compared to other MDGs. Sanitation responsibilities span multiple stakeholders and cannot just be improved by the distribution of a product. So unlike other issues, tackling sanitation requires generating a significant amount of support in complicated political and financial conditions. 

Avoid a one-size-fits-all style of implementation: In order to reach different poor communities and their different needs, we will need to develop specific targeted and tailored strategies for each group.