Government procures waste management equipment for MMDAs

Accra, July 15, GNA- Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, on Friday said government has procured equipment worth 10 million dollars for the Metropolitan,Municipal and District Assemblies to be distributed to their respective Environmental Service Providers.

Some of the equipments included garbage compactor trucks, station wagon, motor cycles and skip trucks.

The Minister said the equipment would ease some of the sanitation problems facing the country and added that government has put in place management support training programme to create awareness on waste management and hygiene education.

Mr Ampofo said this at a consultative meeting of stakeholders in the waste management in the Greater Accra Region on ways of addressing poor sanitation in the country.

The Minister said the meeting was necessitated by recent news in the media about poor sanitation in the country and hoped the discussion would show the way forward.

He said government would not relent in its efforts to make sure there is good sanitation in the country since the health of its citizens was paramount to the economy.

Mrs Nana Ama Adobea, President of Environmental Service Providers Association, said the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) had refused to offer contracts to members of the association after tendering processes, which she indicated had accounted for the poor sanitation in the metropolis.

She said the absence of valid contracts has prevented the contractors from accessing loans from Banks to purchase new vehicles. She said the current disposal site was almost full and with the onset of the rains, dumping at the site has become problematic. Mr Alfred Oko Vanderpuye, Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, noted that the Assembly was in the process of acquiring landfill site since it has been one of the problems faced by the assembly. The Mayor of Accra said another problem confronting the assembly was the attitude of some residents who do not comply with rules and regulations governing waste management. Mr Vanderpuye appealed to the public not to throw refuse just anywhere since its poses health threat to its citizens.