The Tourism, Arts, and Culture Ministry has announced it is taking steps to avert open defecation at tourist sites.
Tourism Minister, Catherine Afeku disclosed at a press conference that the ministry will soon provide a place of convenience at tourist sites to aid in revenue collection.
According to the ministry, acts such as open defecation are a major setback to the tourism industry.
She stated that the system will be digitized to help monitor revenue collection, to block all leakages that may be manipulated.
“Revenue that comes from places of convenience found in and around tourist sites will have to be digitized, this way, accurate records can be kept on the revenue and in turn, it can be used to pay the indigenes that will man the place,†she said.
She explained that the digitization will be done in collaboration with local banks in the country.
“We will have to work with banks, so we will publicly advertise, will be able to show government the revenue stream to pay the locals that will be in charge of monitoring activities thereâ€.
It has been estimated that Ghana loses an average of $79 million annually due to open defecation and is classified among 34 countries with the highest open defecation rates of 15% and above.
Nineteen percent (19%) of the total population practice open defecation daily translating into one out of every five people practicing it in the country according to statistics released by the Communications Consultant of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).