Journalists urged to humanise WASH issues for impact

RelatedNews

AngloGold Ashanti to build 400-bed girls’ dormitory for Fomena T. I. Ahmadiyya SHS

March 4, 2026

Ashaiman MCE inspects major infrastructure projects

March 3, 2026

Accra-Ghana, Dec.19, GNA – Journalists who report on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) have been advised to humanise issues in the sector for greater impact.
Madam Akosua Ogyiri, Communications and Media Relations Manager of WaterAid, Ghana (WAG), gave the advice during an online refresher training on climate change and WASH reporting for selected members of the Ghana Water Journalists’ Network (GWJN).
Madam Ogyiri said humanising WASH stories would have more impact on the audience and ensure that the public enjoyed safe drinking water, decent toilets and good hygiene.
She said WaterAid considered the work of journalists important as they were collaborators in projecting WASH sector challenges, which the ordinary Ghanaian faced.
“Your work will not only enable the people to relate with such issues better, but also get the attention of the authorities for solution,” the WaterAid official added.
Madam Ogyiri said there was a big gap between those who enjoyed safe drinking water in the urban areas and their counterparts in the rural areas, and that it was incumbent on journalists to tell those stories using the human angle.
She said reporters should use the distance women and children were compelled to cover to get water, how water affected health service delivery, as well as women and girls who lacked water, among others, to get the attention of decision makers to resolve those situations.
“You should also explain to the public the relation between WASH and Climate Change, because the solution requires all hands-on deck,” she said.
Mr Jonathan Chapman of WaterAid-UK in his presentation, said journalists should be able to hold authorities accountable to promises made for the sector.
“Journalists should point-out obstacles to accessing good drinking water, ending open defecation, proper sanitation, and good hygiene,” he said.
Participants noted that public data on the negative effects of Climate Change on WASH were not a true reflection of what pertained.
They said that the effects were more serious than what was portrayed by researchers.
Mr Justice Adoboe, President of the Network, was hopeful that knowledge gained by participants would reflect on their WASH and climate change related stories.