Banks, Filling Stations, and Telecoms Should Be Mandated to Provide Toilets: Journalist Calls for Bold Action Against Open Defecation
In a passionate call to action, the Editor-in-Chief of Apexnewsgh, Mr. Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen, has urged the government, through Municipal and District Assemblies, to enact laws compelling banks, filling stations, telecommunication offices, and other commercial establishments to provide modern toilet facilities for their clients. According to the journalist, such a measure would significantly reduce, and potentially help eradicate, open defecation (OD), a persistent public health crisis affecting both urban and rural communities across Ghana. “Open defecation is a serious threat to our health. It is something that needs to be worked on urgently,” Mr. Ngamegbulam stated. “The government must take it seriously because it affects lives, and when lives are affected, properties are also affected.” Despite national efforts, the journalist cited recent data indicating that as of late 2025, approximately 5.4 million Ghanaians – about 18 percent of the population – still practice open defecation, posing a significant public health risk. The prevalence rate has hovered between 15.2 and 18 percent, with rural areas and villages bearing the brunt. The situation is particularly dire in the Upper East Region. According to the 2021 Population and Housing Census, the region has a population of 1,301,226. Recent studies published in 2025 and 2026 show that open defecation rates there remain critically high, with estimates ranging from 49 percent to a staggering 81.9 percent of households engaging in the practice. “The Upper East Region is consistently identified every year as having one of the highest open defecation rates in Ghana. This is a cause for great worry,” Mr. Ngamegbulam emphasized. Mr. Ngamegbulam argued that tackling open defecation requires innovative thinking beyond conventional approaches. “When issues like this come up, we should be able to think outside the box. What should we do as a people to minimize this, even if we cannot eradicate it completely?” he asked. He pointed to the rapid proliferation of banks, filling stations, and other businesses across communities, yet these establishments rarely provide toilet access for their clients. “It is unfair that you go to a bank to transact business, and unfortunately, you feel the urge to ease yourself, but there is no toilet provision made for clients,” he said. “You are forced to look for a nearby bush, enter there to avoid disgracing yourself, and in doing so, create more health hazards for society.” Mr. Ngamegbulam believes that if these establishments were required to provide appropriate toilet facilities, it would go a long way in reducing open defecation. The journalist proposed a practical solution: Municipal and District Assemblies should enact by-laws making it mandatory for any bank, filling station, or similar facility within their jurisdiction to have a public toilet attached. “If assemblies can consider enacting this in their laws, it will go a long way in the fight against open defecation,” he said. “Everyone needs to come on board to contribute to eradicating this practice from our society.” He also stressed the need for toilet facilities in schools and noted that many homes still lack attached toilets, a worrying gap that demands urgent attention. “Any serious government that cares about the health of its people must take this seriously,” Mr. Ngamegbulam concluded. Source: Apexnewsgh.com
Open Defecation: We ever caught a Pharmacist smoking and defecating openly—Bolgatanga Municipal Environmental Officer reveals
Mr. M. Evans, the Bolgatanga Municipal Environmental Officer, has revealed that prominent personalities in the Municipality are engaged in Open Defecation (OD). Apexnewsgh reports During an interview with Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen of Apexnewsgh, Mr. Evans shared a shocking incident where he and his team caught a pharmacist openly defecating and smoking at the Bolgatanga sports stadium. He emphasized that attitude, not education, is the root cause of this issue. “Is not about we not being educated, is about our attitude. If an Alhaji who is an Auditor can go out and defecate out, what shows that he doesn’t know the consequence, is clearly his attitude”. Despite efforts to combat OD, certain areas within the Municipality remain challenging. Atulbabisi and Doportindongo are identified as the worst affected areas, with other areas like Dameo, Sawaba, Seo, and Bukere also struggling. Mr. Evans stressed that OD is everyone’s responsibility and should not be left to a few individuals. He highlighted the risk of cholera outbreaks and the spread of typhoid, which is prevalent in Bolga. To succeed in fighting OD, it is essential to confront those engaging in the practice and promote sanitation awareness. The Sanitation Officer also noted that some households defecate in their bathrooms during bathing and sweep the faeces into the drain, perpetuating the problem. He emphasized the need for individuals to become ambassadors of sanitation and take collective responsibility to address this persistent challenge. According to the Ghana Statistical Service, 17,059 households in the Bolgatanga Municipality are without toilet facilities. Source: Apexnewsgh.com Thanks for reading from Apexnewsgh as a news publishing website from Ghana. We encourage you to freely share this story via social media platform and follow us on; Facebook on APEXNEWSGH-Tv or Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0248250270/0256336062
UER: M-CODe leadership familiarized themselves with Minister, as he confirmed the issue of OD needs attitudinal change
The Upper East Regional Minister Hon. Stephen Yakubu has described Open Defecation (OD) in the Upper East Region as a big issue that needs to be corrected by themselves through attitudinal change. The Minister pointed this out when the Upper East Regional Branch leadership of the Media Coalition against Open Defecation (M-CODe) led by Madam Fatima Astanga the Regional Convener and Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen the Regional Organizer paid him a courtesy visit at his office on Tuesday, October 10, 2022. Even though, the M-CODe leadership visit was planned to officially introduce themselves to the Regional Minister and as well explained their motive and objective as M-CODe representatives in the region, the visit also allowed leadership to interact with the Regional Minister, especially on the performance of the region with regards to Open Defecation. During the engagement, the Regional Minister described Open Defecation (OD) as a big issue. “I think our main way of overcoming this, is to change people’s attitudes. Because the toilet facility may even be there and they will not use it because of that cultural thing. If somebody sees you there and everybody is passing, the name it’s gives to the region. If you moved from this lane, there is a small forest on the right-hand side, people normally go there with their motors to do Open Defecation as if is okay and you won’t even see someone cautioning them to stop such acts, because of those things, are accepted in the society”. According to Minister Yakubu, “Some even believe that it is some kind of fertilizing the land. That’s why the attitude thing is the most important in this fight. I know a lot of people who died in this country as a result of the cholera outbreak in this region” he stressed He appreciated the efforts and ideas brought on board by members of M-CODe in the Upper East Region as he confirmed it as a good call’ However, also seeking some support from the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) to enable M-CODe members to perform their function accordingly in the region, the Minister said: “If we have money we can put in to support but we don’t generate any income. Is the district that generates income and I would encourage you to speak to the private companies, shops, and also the telecoms and any person who wants to contribute. But is something we all know and we all agree that we need to do something about it. I think you can find time to talk about it and am sure some of these radio stations if you talk to them they will be ready to give you some air time to talk about it and that will help educate the people. I think we are together in this, the problem is that we can’t help financially”. The Minister told the Regional leadership of M-CODe. He acknowledged that a lot of NGOs are also doing their best in the area of Open Defecation. Adding that “Government is also building toilets facilities for all the schools because some of the schools don’t even have toilet facilities therefore what do expect if the school is not walled, people come inside the school and do free range”. In the Upper East Region, over 60% of its population or citizens are defecating in the open, and Upper East is 68.4% in terms of Population and housing census. it must be a matter of great concern. It is revealing that 92% of the population of the people of the Upper East Region don’t use toilet facilities at their homes. However, M-CODe, was first introduced in 2018 to help develop the capacity of the media as advocates for improved sanitation, especially with the agenda to eliminate Open Defecation (OD) across the country. Source: Apexnewsgh.com|Ghana For publication please kindly contact us on 0256336062 or Email: apexnewsgh@gmail.com