Ghana Gov’t spent GHS834 million on ‘free water’ initiative – Sanitation Minister
Jonas Danquah 
The Ghanaian Government has spent GHS 834 million on the nine-month coronavirus-induced free water, the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah has disclosed.
The Minister said, the free water policy, despite being costly, had saved a lot of lives amid the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The high cost of the Free Water Policy cannot be equated to the number of lives saved through effective and proper handwashing with soap under running water during the COVID-19 pandemic.” She said speaking at the Global Handwashing Commemoration event in Accra.
“This singular most important social intervention is to make potable water easily accessible and at no cost to all, to allow for effective and proper handwashing with soap under running water,” she added.
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Ms. Dapaah also outlined additional interventions made by the Ministry together with its partners to promote handwashing among Ghanaians.
“We distributed over 1,500 units of handwashing facilities and accompanying logistics to critical and vulnerable groups of society namely, health facilities, mental homes, foster homes, lorry parks, basic and secondary schools, to support effective handwashing.”
She urged Ghanaians to prioritize handwashing with soap.
