The African Ministers Council on Water on Wednesday pledged commitment to work with all stakeholders to improve sanitation and promote human right in the region.
They made the pledge at the ongoing 4th Africa Sanitation Conference in Dakar with the theme: “Making Sanitation for All a Reality in Africa.”
They urged African countries to put in place policies that promote the dignity of man.
Nigeria’s Minister of Water Resources, Sarah Ochekpe, represented by Samuel Ome, the Director of Water Quality Control and Sanitation, said government was working to scale up sanitation in the country.
Ochekpe said there was the need for private individuals and industrialists to take ownership of sanitation in their local communities.
She said this would go a long way to reducing the spread of preventable diseases.
She said this would also boost hygiene practices, thereby reducing increasing rate of water borne diseases in the country.
The minister said although steady progress was being made, more commitment was needed from all stakeholders in making the states open defecation free.
Ochekpe said there was the need for all stakeholders to also increase partnerships and track progresses made in universal access to sanitation in member countries.
She called for strong political will from leaders at the three tiers of government, saying access to water and sanitation should not be left to the Federal Government alone.
Amadou Faye, the President of AMCOW, said poor hygiene, lack of access to safe sanitation and open defecation continue to be the major health problems in the region.
Faye said these problems undermined economic growth, pollute the environment, prevent girls from attending school and also trap Africans in poverty.
He said the conference would build political initiative to build momentum to address these ongoing challenges.
He said: “We are hopeful that through this platform, we can collectively lobby to influence global, regional and national sanitation and hygiene targets.
“We are also hopeful that it will make better case for investment in sanitation and hygiene to improve the lives of all Africans.”
Faye however called on all member countries to invest in policies that would boost the social, economic and political development in the region.
AMCOW’s Executive Secretary, Bai-Mass Tal, said universal access to sanitation had no substitute.
Tal said there was the need for countries to have a ministry of sanitation to boost efforts of stakeholders in achieving universal access to sanitation and hygiene.
According to him, member countries have made pledges to meet the eThekwini commitment in 2008, saying efforts should be put in place to meet these targets.
Taal said the aim of the conference was to assist African countries make policies that would help meet the post-2015 Development Goals on sanitation and hygiene.
He said: “The overall objective of AfricaSan is to assist African countries achieve universal access to improved sanitation, eliminate open defecation and help in climbing the sanitation ladder.”
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the eThekwini commitment was formed in 2008 to bring African countries back on track to meeting the MDGs on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for all.
The Africa sanitation conference aims to assist countries make policies that will help meet the post-2015 Development Goals on sanitation and hygiene.
NAN.