Mohammed Saani Ibrahim

A National Inter Schools WASH Quiz Competition has been launched in Accra with a call on stakeholders for younger peoples to be involved in decision making process of the country.

Government was also asked to take steps in ensuring that the voice of younger citizens are heard through democratic channels at the various local, regional and national decision making levels.

Launching the maiden edition of the competition, the Minister for Water Resource, Works and Housing, said'' it is no longer a cliché that any long term development goal without the involvement of children and young people, who are the future oriented generation, is not a positive step''.

The Minister, Hon Albin S. Bagbin, added ‘'young people who are significant victims of the problems of unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation and hygiene, are also strong instruments of change for socio economic development''.

He noted that children and the youth constitute a major constituency and a stronghold in the country's development agenda and as such the NDC Government believes water security can be accelerated for socio economic development by forging strategic partnership with them to improve access to water and sanitation services.

Water, the Minister said must be appreciated as a strategic resource that does not give only life but also serves as a catalyst for development and therefore has to be at the centre of all development plans. ‘'We need to ensure that issues concerning water and sanitation feature permanently in all our development strategies''.

He explained that the lack of access to water, sanitation and hygiene has negative consequences for education ,health ,food security, women's empowerment, income generation, productivity and development.

He praised the initiative of partners, organizers and the planning committee for designing such a programme which seeks to engage young people on WASH issues.

The quiz competition which forms part of program of improving the performance of the water and sanitation sector is a partnership   involving the Water Directorate of his Ministry, the Sanitation Directorate of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, the Ghana Education Service as well as the Ghana Broadcasting Cooperation.

Hon Bagbin, described students and young people of this country stand as the instruments for greater enlightenment, awareness creation and community mobilization and therefore challenges them to deliver into their creative abilities to propose solutions to the numerous challenges that bedevil Ghana's WASH sector.

He also encouraged organizers, competing schools and students to appreciate the need to ensure fair and a healthy competition even though attractive prizes are at stake.''   The important thing is not the victory but the contest' the essential thing is not to have won but to have fought well'' he said.