He said open defecation led to epidemic disease outbreaks like cholera, especially when human excreta and urine entered water bodies, and called for concerted efforts and strong political will to address the problem.

At  a community assessment on sanitation carried by GLOMEF in the Ada West District, Mr. Ahenu said poor sanitation which included open defecation, cost the nation $290million every year.

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He identified lack of urban and regional planning systems to curtail movement of people; use of obsolete planning technology and inadequate human resources; unresolved legislative conflicts and inconsistencies, and poor coordination among urban development actors as factors increasing the number of slums.

In 2017, Ghana has been named among the top 10 countries worldwide with the highest percentage of its population without decent toilets.

Ghana has about 85.7 percent of its population without decent toilets and this equals about 23 million people who suffer the fear and indignity of relieving themselves in the open or in unsafe or unhygienic toilets.

This is contained in a report entitled 'Out of Order' released by WaterAid, an international Non-Governmental Organization in its 2017 state of the world’s toilets.

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According to the report, the lack of decent toilets around the world prevents women and girls from fulfilling their potential.