Ministry of Local

Government & Rural

Development

Environmental Health
&
Sanitation Directorate
REPUBLIC OF GHANA

WASH STAKEHOLDERS WORKSHOP

HUMAN RESOURCES GAPS STUDY IN THE

WASH SECTOR
28TH JUNE, 2012
ERATA HOTEL, ACCRA

OUTLINE

Introduction
Basic Training (SOH)
Staff & Student Population
Post Basic Training
Current Staff Strength
In-service Training (Workshops,
Seminars)
Challenges
Way Forward

TRAINING INSTITUTIONS

3 SOH Accra, Ho & Tamale

To train EHO/As to perform duties relating to

Environmental Health in MMDAs and for Private

sector.
Understand basic principles of sanitation and
apply them in their routine work.
Detect nuisances and call for abatement
Educate communities and promote health

BASIC TRAINING (CERTIFICATE/DIPLOMA)

Technical skills
supervise the collection and disposal of wastes (solid, liquid
industrial, clinical and other hazardous wastes)
supervise the construction, operation and maintenance of
simple sanitation facilities
Analyse public health consequence of various human
activities to ensure sound judgement during inspection
identify unwholesome food and meat and the requirements
for achieving food and meat hygiene
give expert advice on environmental health and management
issues in MMDAs

BASIC TRAINING (CERTIFICATE/DIPLOMA)

Social Marketing and Community Mobilisation Skills
effectively mobilise communities to fully participate
environmental sanitation development projects
ensure the effectiveness of environmental sanitation
education programmes in bringing about behavioural
change
Analytical and Logical Thinking Skills
appreciate the relevance of environmental and public
health legislation and enforcement
interpret and apply environmental legislation

BASIC TRAINING (CERTIFICATE/DIPLOMA)

Planning and Budgeting skills
ensure proper planning of environmental services within the
limits of available funds
Administrative and Managerial skills
maintain an efficient management information system
organise available human and other resources to pursue plans
Effective Communication and Lobbying Skills
defend Action Plans and demand appropriate funds for
environmental health and management services;
manage and penetrate political influence and interference to
achieve results

STAFFING (Schools)
CATEGORY

NO. AT
POST

NO.
NEEDED

GAP

ACCRA (1953)

14 (8)

14

HO (1975)

10 (9)

11

10 (2/8)

15

TAMALE (1952/1964)

STUDENT POPULATION
SCHOOL

1ST YEAR

2ND YEAR

3RD YEAR

TOTAL

ACCRA

16

41

34

91

HO

93

91

184

TAMALE

100

120

220

TOTAL

209

242

34

495

POST BASIC TRAINING

70s few higher courses for Environmental Health

Officers in Ghana.
Food and Meat Hygiene (Great Britain) - 4
Tutors course in Ibadan university (Nigeria) - 10
Community Health and Tropical Medicine (Sierra
Leone)
Those who managed to gain admission to other
universities outside the country had problems with
sponsorship.

POST BASIC TRAINING

1985 with the support of the WHO in collaboration

with the MoH and KNUST, the Environmental
Health Technology (Diploma) course was
introduced.
Unfortunately, When the WHO withdrew their
sponsorship in 1995 the programme died out.
This programme was to train middle level Officers
to bridge the gap between the Public Health
Engineer and the Environmental Health Officer.

POST BASIC TRAINING

Due to the inadequacy of Public Health Engineers the

Environmental Health Technologist was to head the
Waste Management Departments (Environmental
Sanitation Policy).
1989 - UCC introduced the Health Science Education
(Diploma) programme (in place of the Ibadan
programme) to train tutors for the Schools of Hygiene
locally.
Those who had the EHT from KNUST offered the one
year PGCE (Health Science).
Currently, the BEd. Health Science Education is in
progress.

UG
BSc. Public Health
BSc. Environmental Science
BSc. Nutrition
MSc. Public Health
MSc. Environmental Science

UCC
Water & Sanitation (Diploma/Degree)

BEd. Health Sciences

BSc/MSc/Mphil Environmental Science
MA Environmental Management & Policy

KNUST
BSc./ MSc. /MPhil Environmental Science

MSc. Health Promotion

UDS
BSc. Nutrition

BSc. Environmental Science & Biology

MSc. Community Health & Development

UEW (Mampong Campus)

Environmental Health & Sanitation Education
Sandwich/Full Time

Diploma/Degree

PUC (Akropong Campus)

Environment & Natural Resource
Management

Catholic University College

BSc. Public Health
Full Time/Weekend

ILGS
Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental
Management (8 Modules)
MA Environmental Science & Policy
(Weekend)

GIMPA

Post Graduate CUM

Occupational Health & Safety Certificate, Diploma

and Post Diploma

STAFF SITUATION
CATEGORY

Public Health Engineers

Environmental Health Technologists
Environmental Health Officers

TOTAL

6
53
510

Environmental Health Assistants

2,553

TOTAL

3,122

INSERVICE TRAINING
(WORKSHOPS/SEMINARS)

Environmental Health Inspections

Health Promotion
Environmental Health Prosecutions
Management of Landfills in Ghana
Management of Veterinary and Bio-medical waste
Provision, Operation and Maintenance of Public
Toilets
Monitoring of Environmental Sanitation Services
in Ghana

Tailor Made Courses

EHO - jack of all trade and master of none

Post Basic training should address competency gaps
and specialisation identified in the Environmental
Sanitation Policy
Solid Waste Management including Hazardous Waste
Municipal Wastewater Management
Environmental Sanitation Education
(Classroom/Community education)
Public Health Law
Food Hygiene/Meat Inspection

Tailor Made Courses

Rodent and Vector Control

International Health/Port Health
Disaster Management
Industrial Hygiene
Occupational Health
Monitoring & Evaluation

Challenges

The key challenge in the area of capacity

development (human resource) relate to
inadequate professional manpower
(engineers, planners and administrators, for
planning, management, policy formulation and
research)

REVIEW OF SCHEME OF SERVICE

Attract talents into the Environmental Health

and Sanitation Class

RECRUITMENT/SALARY

Engineers - forty (40)

Environmental Health Officers 81
Environmental Health Assistants - 706
Waiting for financial clearance to commence
the recruitment and posting process.
Salaries lower than other health
counterparts

THE WAY FORWARD

WAHO
Harmonising curricular of environmental
health within the ECOWAS community
both Francophone and Anglophone.
Upgrade Schools of Hygiene to tertiary
institutions to offer BSc. and HND in
Environmental Health
Admission requirements of SOH reviewed

THE WAY FORWARD

The Allied Health Science Professional bill

in which Env. Health is included is at the
draft stage.
Establishment of West African College of
Allied Health Science.

Thank You for

Listening