More than 5,500 public basic schools in Ghana lack access to safe drinking water, while about 26 per cent have no toilet facilities, highlighting persistent sanitation challenges confronting schoolchildren across the country.
The figures were disclosed at the grand finale of the Seventh Sanitation Solutions (Triple S) Challenge at the National Theatre in Accra, where Miss Nabeeha Sulemana Atiah of Elmina Methodist Junior High School was crowned the 2026–2027 Child Sanitation Diplomat.
The Ministry of Education estimates that the lack of decent sanitation facilities affects more than 1.5 million children in public schools, with thousands of pupils exposed to inadequate toilet facilities while in school.
The development formed part of concerns raised at the event over the need to translate sanitation education into practical action and improve access to essential facilities.
Deputy Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Madam Rita Naa Odoley Sowah, said Ghana’s sanitation challenge could not be addressed through awareness alone, stressing the need for sustained action by individuals, institutions and communities.
“There is already much knowledge about sanitation, but the challenge now is acting consistently for what we know is right,” she said, urging Ghanaians to turn awareness into responsibility and responsibility into action.
She said sanitation facilities must be available in homes and schools and called for collaboration among teachers, parents, local and traditional authorities and religious leaders.
Madam Odoley Sowah, who is also the Member of Parliament for La Dadekotopon, urged children to speak up when their schools lacked toilets or changing rooms for girls and to challenge adults who littered public spaces.
“You are not too young to make a difference,” she told the children. “Keep your school clean and protect your environment. Inspire someone else to do the right thing. A sanitation conscious Ghana begins with children.”
The Ministry of Education also reported that nearly 18 per cent of Ghana’s population practised open defecation, while only 25.3 per cent had access to improved toilet facilities.
Against this backdrop, the Triple S Challenge seeks to equip children with knowledge and leadership skills to develop sustainable solutions to sanitation problems in their schools and communities.
At the grand finale, Nabeeha emerged winner after beating three other finalists in a quiz moderated by Radio Quizmaster Dan Afari Yeboah.
She was presented with a laptop, plaque, cash prize and other souvenirs and decorated with the Child Sanitation Diplomat sash.
She will also receive support to implement a one-year environmental sanitation project.
The three runners-up—Candi Dasanah Mwini-Maloo of Star of God Roman Catholic Junior High School in Wa; Nyarko Nhyira Dede of St Anthony Roman Catholic School in Nkawkaw; and Afua Agyeibea Arko of Bethany Methodist Basic School in Accra—also received plaques, cash prizes and souvenirs.
The competition, organised by World Vision Ghana and its partners, formed part of efforts to enable schoolchildren to co-create practical and sustainable responses to sanitation challenges.
Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Madam Abla Dzifa Gomashie, said a clean environment was also essential to Ghana’s tourism development.
She urged adults to lead by example in protecting the environment and called on Christian and other religious leaders to use their platforms to promote environmental sanitation.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Minister for Works, Housing and Water Resources, Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, described sanitation as a public good and called on stakeholders to work together to improve conditions.
He also said the Ministry remained open to proposals that could contribute to policy development in the sanitation sector.
The grand finale was preceded by the Fifth Children Sanitation Festival 2026, where children used exhibitions, drama, sketches, music, poetry, storytelling and choreography to communicate sanitation messages.
