Ghana is losing over GH¢6.2 billion annually to poor sanitation and waste management through healthcare costs and lost productivity.
According to a policy brief by the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) at the University of Ghana, sanitation-related problems generate about GH¢5.58 billion in medical costs each year, while lost productivity accounts for another GH¢650 million.
Diseases linked to poor sanitation, including malaria, cholera and typhoid, are estimated to result in 31.9 million lost work and school days annually. The researchers also estimate that these conditions contribute to about 107,222 premature deaths each year.
The economic losses significantly exceed public spending on sanitation. Ghana’s Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies spent about GH¢180.2 million on waste management and sanitation, according to the study.
ISSER is calling for greater investment in sanitation, drainage and environmental health, particularly in densely populated and underserved urban communities, flood-prone areas and other high-risk locations. It also recommends improved faecal sludge management and the removal of open waste dumps that contribute to disease transmission.
The institute estimates that Ghana invests about GH¢38.78 per tonne of waste, compared with a benchmark of GH¢1,028 per tonne used in its comparison for lower-middle-income countries.
ISSER says sanitation should be treated as an economic investment, arguing that the cost of inadequate waste management is already reflected in healthcare spending, lost productivity and premature deaths.
