The Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) has called on the government to significantly increase investment in waste management and sanitation, warning that poor sanitation is costing Ghana billions of cedis every year through rising healthcare costs and lost productivity.

The call is contained in a new policy brief titled Waste or Wealth? The Economic Returns to Sanitation Investment in Ghana, which argues that sanitation should no longer be treated as a routine public expense but as a strategic investment that can improve public health, create jobs and support economic growth.

According to the report, Ghana's current spending on waste management falls below the average for lower-middle-income countries and needs to be increased to address the country's growing sanitation challenges.

"Government must significantly increase budgetary allocations for sanitation, drainage infrastructure and environmental health programmes. The economic cost of poor sanitation far exceeds what the country currently spends on the sector," the report stated.

ISSER recommended that government prioritise investment in densely populated urban communities, flood-prone areas and underserved peri-urban settlements, where poor sanitation poses serious health and environmental risks.

"Targeting these communities will help reduce disease outbreaks, lower mortality rates and strengthen the capacity of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to tackle sanitation challenges more effectively," the report noted.

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The institute also urged government to invest more in sanitation infrastructure, including household and public toilet facilities, faecal sludge treatment plants, improved drainage systems and reliable solid waste collection services to reduce diseases such as malaria, cholera and typhoid.

The report  also recommended stricter regulation of informal waste collectors and encouraged operators, including tricycle "aboboyaa" waste collectors, to enrol on the National Health Insurance Scheme and undergo regular medical screening.

The report further urged  that increasing investment in sanitation presents a major opportunity to improve public health, protect the environment and stimulate economic growth.

"Strategic and scaled-up investment in waste and sanitation represents a high-yield opportunity to boost public health and enhance economic productivity," the report stated.

ANAS/EB

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