Sanitation Ministry gets GH¢160m to undertake major works

The Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resource has received a total of GH¢160million this year to undertake its core activities of cleaning the cities and other parts of the country.

With GH¢60million coming from the Ministry of Finance’s budget allocation, the other GH¢100million is part of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s promise to make GH¢200million available for sanitation, drainage and water management.

Joseph Kofi Adda, Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, said they are currently procuring sanitation equipment including compactors, trucks, beach-cleaning equipment, recycling plants, digest devices, accessories; and recruiting sanitation brigades, who will then be equipped with tools and uniforms.

“We are currently looking at sustainable financing modules – whether it should come from the ministry or go straight to the assembly where they will match up funds from revenues generated, and this will force them [District Assemblies] to raise revenue,” he said.

Mr. Adda was speaking at a courtesy call ceremony by urban radio station YFM, which is marking its 10th anniversary with the launch of Slum Invasion – a campaign to educate citizens and massively clean selected communities together with the inhabitants.

Sanitation brigade

President Akufo-Addo last year launched the National Sanitation Campaign in Accra, where he also announced the formation of the National Sanitation Brigade – which is a re-branding of the feared town councils of the 1980s.

It is expected that 10,000 Ghanaians will be recruited to enforce the sanitation laws, as well as arrest and prosecute persons who flout environmental regulations. Members of the brigade are to ensure adherence to the rules and regulations on sanitation in both state and private properties within the MMDAs.

YFM’s courtesy call

Mr. Adda applauded management and staff of YFM for launching a sanitation campaign aimed at cleaning ten slum communities in the Greater Accra Region. He pledged his ministry’s full support for the campaign, urging YFM to use its media platform to influence attitudinal change among the citizenry.

The 10 communities to benefit from the YFM’s ‘Slum Invasion’ include Korle Gonno, Town Council Line, Flamingo, Tunga, Chorkor, New Fadama, New Town, Madina, Nima and Ashaiman.

“We as a ministry are happy a media organisation has thought it wise to champion this worthy cause,” Mr. Adda said. He encouraged other individuals and groups to emulate the good example of YFM in making sure the plan to make Accra the cleanest city in Africa becomes a reality.

Leading the YFM delegation to pay a courtesy call on the minister, Timothy Karikari-Director at Global Media Alliance Broadcasting Company (GMABC) – parent company of YFM, expressed the station’s joy at coming onboard to solve basic sanitation issues.

“Because most of our presenters are celebrities and therefore have a lot of influence on their followers, we plan on taking them to such communities to engage directly with them,” he said.

Mr. Karikari added that YFM dedicated an entire month of its programming to sanitation, to arrest the canker before it gets further out of hand. “A couple of months ago we had different themes on how to keep our environments clean, like recycling among others.”

Eddy Blay, Programmes Manager at YFM, said the project – in partnership with Matic Foundation – will take Ghanaian celebrities to these communities to clean up and create awareness for three months. “Aside our on-air engagements and trainings on sanitation, we have dedicated September to November for a massive on-ground cleaning.”

Commenting on activities after November, Mr. Blay said YFM is rolling out the YFM Hot Squad to take celebrities and media to the communities on a regular basis. The regular engagement is to change the citizenry’s mindset, to make them sanitation-conscious and be participants in the cleaning exercise.

This is in line with Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s mantra that “every day is sanitation day”. YFM recently launched its 10th anniversary to celebrate a decade of professional, entertaining and award-winning content for listeners in Ghana and beyond.