Poor sanitation is a threat to the national economy, public health, and individual dignity. The problem is mostly associated with the African continents, where rural areas are extremely scarce of adequate sanitation facilities. Besides the negative effect on the well-being of humans, poor sanitation increases degradation of soils and natural resources as human wastes contaminate water and make soils inapplicable for agriculture.
Today, the whole world is aware that many African schools have no latrines, especially separated facilities for boys and girls. This evidence is a pressure for girls who have the worst school experience among all students around the world. African girls cannot fully participate in school activities and show academic progress, thus, many of them remain uneducated.
As long as children and adults are deprived of basic sanitation, infectious diseases strike and boost the mortality rate. Diarrhea, worm infections, eye and skin diseases, malaria and other diseases strike population which has no access to proper sanitation. Mortality from diarrhea is high as drinking water is never protected from being infected by wastes.
Concerning national economy, poor sanitation was proved to cut overseas trade in fish. Fish industry is stagnating at the current moment in many African regions as fisheries closed and the ones which yet exist impose high costs on their production due to the spending on chemical and mechanical cleansing. Sanitation-related problems discourage fishing in the region which could be one of a few promising African industries.