Liquid Waste Management In Urban And Rural Ghana: Privatisation As Governance?

Abstract

This chapter raises the question what governance of public sanitation means to different people at different levels of social organisation or to different parties in the sanitation management. It presents two cases of sanitation in Ghana, one rural, one urban, and suggests that the poor management of human waste epitomises the limitations and failures of governance in present-day Ghana. Ghana has a poor maintenance culture. The situation is worst in the waste management sector. The majority of the people think that the decision to lease or contract out the management of government-owned public toilets is the best policy so far. This has indeed led to improvements in the conditions of most of the public toilets. Privatisation has led to competition in the management of public toilets and suction truck service provision. This will improve even further, of course, if revenues for their maintenance are handled properly. Keywords: human waste; liquid waste management; privatisation; public sanitation; public toilets; rural Ghana; sanitation management; social organisation; urban Ghana