KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES OF ISLAMIC LEADERS IN RELATION TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 6 IN TAMALE

Abstract

The campaign for improved sustainable development goal six (6) is increasingly threatened as people’s existing knowledge and attitudes seem not to promote clean water and proper sanitation practices. Environmental sanitation has become a problem to the extent that it has engaged the attention of authorities as well as concerned citizens. As a result, over the years Ghana failed to achieve her set sanitation target. One area that has suffered from this problem is the Muslims (Zongo) communities. The main objective of the study is to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of Islamic leaders in relation to Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6) in Tamale Metropolis. The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional study design. The study used primary data collected through questionnaire by the interview method among a total of 384 Islamic leaders randomly selected from the various listed major Mosques in the Tamale Metropolis. In line with the principles of the Health Belief Model as the theoretical framework for this study, the dependent variables: Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices in relation to clean water and sanitation were set against the independent variables: Socio-demographics; Acceptance of the precepts of Islamic religion on sanitation and clean water; Perceived seriousness of SDG 6; Perceived benefits related to SDG6 and Perceived barriers associated with SDG6. This study has highlighted inadequate knowledge among Islamic leaders on SDG6 in Tamale Metropolis. Few respondents (27.7%) had confidence in the achievement of the SGD-6 by the year 2030. The findings suggest that even though respondents were very aware of the critical role of cleanliness in Islam, they lack the impetus to make a difference as leaders in the SDG6 implementation on the ground. The findings also show a significant association between educational status and knowledge and practices related to SDG6 (X2=37.542, p=0.001). Among other critical findings, this thesis is unique in demonstrating that the three respective identities: traditional culture, Islam and modern policy (SDG6) share the mutual trust in clean water and sanitation within society. The confidence that each party brings to the table as a genuine stakeholder could enhance symbolization and harmonization of links between the respectively different reasoning structures for the achievement of SDG6 - clean water and sanitation within the society. It is recommended that change agents in SDG6 Health Education should have reference roots in cultural sensitivities and religious ideas that bring meaning and bigger agency in the drive towards achieving this mutually critical goal.