Government intends to invest GH₵200m to combat sanitation across the country.
Addressing Parliament during his second State of the Nation at Parliament House in Accra, he bemoaned the state of filth in the country and indicated his commitment to tackle the growing menace.
“Urgent attention will be given to clearing of rubbish all around the country. Apart from the systematic efforts being made to resolve the legacy of inherited debts in the sector, government will spend this year, an amount of GH₵200m to address the vexed issue of sanitation”.
The President maintained that government is working with various private sector operators to tackle this major challenge, with strategies that are intended to effect a change in our attitudes towards waste generation, as well as to improve dramatically our methods of waste management. This will be complemented by the strict enforcement of sanitation rules and regulations.
“The state of sanitation in our cities is wholly unacceptable. Our cities have been engulfed filth. There is the urgent need for public authorities to find means of making our cities clean, and in the case of Accra, fulfilling my pledge, one of the most ambitions of my presidency, to make it the cleanest city in Africa, by the end of my term”.
A study by Karen Curley of the huffingtonpost, indicates that waste removal is for the wealthy because they can afford it. Only 60% of the population has regular waste collection. As of June 17th, all 3 refuse dump sites were closed down. Because of this open sewers and rains are full of trash. Most of the pipes are in polluted gutters. Broken or vandalized ones are open to germs.
As part of efforts to tackle sanitation, government in November last year, launched the National Sanitation Campaign not only with a call for a change in attitude from Ghanaians, but some policy initiatives to enforce already existing sanitation laws.
The president admitted that indiscipline was a major stumbling block in Ghana’s attempts to improve sanitation, but stressed that his government intendeds to make “a fresh start.”
He also formed the National Sanitation Brigade, a re-branding of the feared town council in the 80’s.
