Aliu launches National Sanitation week

Konongo (Ash), Sept. 13, GNA - Vice President Aliu Mahama has called on the citizenry to accord sanitary inspectors the necessary respect to enable them to carry out their statutory duty of enforcing and educating the public on sanitary laws and regulations. He said government had invested a great deal of resources in waste management including the reintroduction of sanitary inspectors, popularly called "sama-sama", under the National Youth Employment Programme mode.

Vice President Mahama made the call at Konongo in the Asante Akim District of the Ashanti Region where he addressed the Fifth National Sanitation Week on the theme: "Clean Environment, Healthy People." He noted that most common illnesses that reduced productivity were preventable if people adopted the habit of keeping their environment clean.

"Poor sanitation is our own making. Because of indiscipline, waste, especially plastic waste, is choking our gutters while weeds are taking over our surroundings."

Vice President Mahama said a change of attitude was necessary to propel Ghana to achieve its dream of becoming a middle income country. "As long as we expect others to do what we ought to do for ourselves, we cannot expect to progress as fast as we should," he warned.

In a speech read on his behalf, Mr Kwadwo Adjei-Darko, Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment, said the Ministry was strengthening the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to provide regular quality services in the form of equipment and financial resources.

"As you are aware, the District Assemblies' Common Fund has increased from five to 7.5 per cent, which implies that more funds would be available for sanitation."

Mr Adjei-Darko said the Ministry would ensure the monitoring and evaluation of services to ensure value for money at the local level. To this effect, the Directorate of Environmental Health and Sanitation of the Ministry would be strengthened to provide effective advice, supervision and monitoring.

Mr Adjei-Darko said in line with modern trends, there was the need for Ghana to see waste as a resource that could be turned into a useful product such as soil conditioners, energy and other useful raw materials.

Mr Ole Jenson, Water Sector Advisor at the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, expressed the need for Ghana to facilitate a high profile activity on sanitation through political commitment and the active engagement of Water and Sanitation Committees and the District Assemblies.

Mr George Frimpong, Asante Akim North District Chief Executive, called for adequate resources for his District with two urban areas to help ensure good sanitation.

"In the modern world, the moving force behind the more successful economies is a healthy and knowledgeable population," he said. Agogohene, Nana Akuoko Sarpong, who chaired the function called for stringent measures to protect the vegetation cover in the traditional area for posterity.