Sunyani: Miss Dasanah Candi Mwine-Maalo, 15, and Nyarko Nhyira Dede, 13, have been adjudged overall winners of the first Masters Encounter of the Seventh School Sanitation Solutions (TRIPLE S) Challenge 2026 for the Shea and Cocoa Zones, respectively. Mwine-Maalo, a student of Star of God Roman Catholic (R/C) Junior High School in the Upper West Region, will represent the Shea Zone in the grand finale of the competition to be held at the National Theatre in Accra on September 21, 2026. Dede, a student of St Anthony R/C Basic Junior High School in the Eastern Region, will also represent the Cocoa Zone in the final competition.
According to Ghana News Agency, the two contestants emerged winners from a group of 10 students drawn from the Shea Zone, comprising the Upper East, Upper West, North East, Savannah, and Northern regions, and the Cocoa Zone, made up of the Ashanti, Eastern, Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo regions. They participated in the first Masters Encounter, the semi-final stage of the challenge, held in Sunyani and organized by World Vision Ghana (WVG) in partnership with Kings Hall Media Limited.
Other partners supporting the initiative include the Ghana Education Service (GES), the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources (MSWR), the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area Sanitation and Water Project (GAMA SWP), and the Zoomlion Foundation. Addressing the opening session, Mr Yaw Attah Arhin, WASH Technical Specialist at WVG, explained that the seventh edition of the challenge was launched in June 2023 with the publication of invitations for entries. He said more than 1,000 valid entries were received from across the country, except from the Bono East region.
Mr Arhin explained that the country had been divided into four zones under the challenge, with the Tilapia Zone comprising the Greater Accra, Volta, and Oti regions, while the Coconut Zone consists of the Central, Western, and Western North regions. He said contestants were selected from each zone, with the zonal champions qualifying for the grand finale, known as the 'Battle of Champions.'
The challenge aims to encourage learners to develop a keen interest in environmental sanitation issues, become sanitation-conscious change agents, and positively influence both their peers and adults. It also seeks to build the capacity of learners to co-create sustainable solutions to sanitation challenges in their communities and advocate increased access to improved sanitation, particularly in basic schools. Mr Arhin noted that before the introduction of the challenge, WVG and Kings Hall Media had implemented other sanitation-related competitions, including the Open Defecation-Free Cartoon Contest in partnership with the Junior Graphic.
Mr Arhin emphasized the importance of access to safe water, improved sanitation, and hygiene for child wellbeing. He reaffirmed the commitment of WVG, its partners, and stakeholders to improving sanitation and ensuring sustainable access to basic sanitation services nationwide. Mr Arhin thanked Kings Hall Media, GES, MSWR, GAMA SWP, and the Zoomlion Foundation for their contributions towards the success of the TRIPLE S Challenge.
In a speech read on his behalf, Mr Joseph Akwaboa, Bono Regional Minister, highlighted that sanitation is not merely a government responsibility but a national one. He commended the organisers of the TRIPLE S Challenge, describing the initiative as a reminder that achieving a cleaner Ghana begins with education, discipline, and behavioral change.