Professor Peter Quartey, immediate past Director of the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), has called for a fundamental shift in Ghana’s approach to sanitation and waste management, urging policymakers to treat the sector as a strategic economic investment rather than a residual social obligation.
He made the call during a research dissemination and stakeholder engagement forum on the economic analysis of the benefits of adequate investment in waste management and sanitation in Ghana, which happened at Alisa Hotel in Accra on Thursday, February 26, 2026.
“Oftentimes, we have seen sanitation as a social obligation and not as an investment. Let us not look at the space as residual, where every key ministry is funded first, and the leftover funds are given to sanitation and waste management. That should not be the case,” Professor Quartey stated.
He argued that prioritising sanitation infrastructure would yield significant public health and economic benefits, stressing that preventive investment is far more cost-effective than managing disease outbreaks.
“When you invest in waste and sanitation, health issues will not be there. If we don’t, then the consequences are dire,” he warned.
Citing the financial burden of cholera outbreaks, Professor Quartey revealed that a single outbreak in Ghana costs about $62 per household in low-incident areas and $107 in high-incident areas. He added that the estimated savings from preventing an episode range from nearly $100,000 in low-incident areas to approximately $800,000 in high-incident areas.
“We must invest in waste to avoid these challenges,” he emphasised.
His remarks highlight the economic case for strengthening sanitation systems, suggesting that sustained investment in waste management infrastructure could reduce preventable diseases, protect household incomes, and minimise public expenditure associated with health emergencies.
