Nearly one in every three Liberians continues to practice open defecation, prompting the government to accelerate reforms aimed at expanding access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene services across the country.
The Director of the National Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Commission (NWASHC), Morris G. Gono Jr., disclosed Thursday that about 34 percent of Liberia's population still practices open defecation in both rural and urban communities.
Speaking at a WASH sector conference in Monrovia, Gono said the Commission is implementing a series of reforms, including the proposed Presidential WASH Compact, to improve coordination, financing and service delivery across the sector.
He said, with support from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Commission has updated Liberia's national roadmap to eliminate open defecation by 2030.
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According to Gono, the roadmap will guide the country's transition toward becoming entirely open defecation-free through improved sanitation infrastructure and community engagement.
He acknowledged that while progress has been made, weak coordination among institutions remains one of the sector's biggest challenges.
"WASH responsibilities are spread across several government institutions, including the Ministries of Public Works, Health, Education, Mines and Energy, the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation, and local governments," Gono said, noting that the fragmented arrangement has led to overlapping responsibilities and inefficiencies.
He explained that the proposed Presidential WASH Compact is intended to bring together government agencies, development partners and the private sector under a single framework with clearly defined commitments to end open defecation, strengthen financing and improve service delivery.
According to him, the compact has already been submitted to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai for review and approval.
As part of the reforms, Gono disclosed that President Boakai has directed the Ministry of Health to coordinate nationwide inspections of businesses and WASH-related facilities.
A Joint Task Force on Food Safety and Sanitary Inspection, launched in April, has already inspected more than 300 hotels, restaurants and water production facilities, with the exercise expected to continue for another 23 working days.
Gono also reported that the Commission has strengthened sector coordination through regular stakeholder meetings and has issued more than 100 permits and regulatory clearances.
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He said the Commission, in partnership with UNICEF, is developing a climate and disaster preparedness plan to improve emergency response during floods and other climate-related disasters by pre-positioning WASH supplies in vulnerable communities.
He further disclosed that ongoing water supply projects in Bong and Gbarpolu counties, as well as parts of Monrovia, are expected to provide safe drinking water to approximately 33,500 people.
In addition, the Commission has introduced an online permit application system, replacing the previous paper-based process in an effort to improve efficiency and transparency.
Despite the progress, Gono warned that funding remains a major challenge following the withdrawal of USAID support, stressing that sustained investment from government and development partners will be critical to achieving Liberia's sanitation and hygiene goals by 2030.
