Ghana’s sanitation crisis has deepened, with the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs warning that the country is losing over $500 million every year due to poor sanitation management—while a staggering three out of four households still do not have basic private toilets.

The ministry’s latest assessment shows that only 25% of households nationwide have access to improved, non-shared toilet facilities. At the same time, 18% of the population continues to practise open defecation, with the Upper East Region recording an alarming 49%, the highest in the country.

Speaking at a stakeholder engagement in Accra to mark World Toilet Day, sector minister Ahmed Ibrahim described the figures as unacceptable for a lower-middle-income economy that seeks to improve public health and urban development.

Mr Ibrahim blamed the grim situation on entrenched attitudes that treat household toilets as optional, chronic underinvestment in sanitation systems, and weak enforcement of regulations by local assemblies.

He highlighted rapid urbanisation as a major pressure point.

“Our urban population is growing at 3.3% annually, one of the highest on the continent, and it has far outpaced the development of sanitation infrastructure,” he said.

“In Accra alone, the population has surged by more than 60% over the last two decades, yet sewerage expansion has remained minimal.”

The minister stressed that building a cleaner Ghana requires a collective mindset change and stronger community-level action.

Mr Ibrahim called for:

Households to prioritise the construction of private toilets Traditional leaders to enforce community norms and discourage open defecation Local assemblies to penalise sanitation offenders and strictly enforce byelaws “A ‘Toilet for All’ Ghana is achievable, but only if every actor plays their part,” he emphasised.

He urged Ghanaians to see sanitation not as a luxury but as a public health necessity that directly affects national productivity, healthcare costs and quality of life.

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