I will resign if I fail to address sanitation - Minister

Local Government Minister, Julius Debrah says he will resign his post a year from now, if all interventions to deal with the country’s sanitation situation fail to yield the needed results.

Mr. Debrah recently outlined his Ministry’s four thematic areas in the short, medium and long terms which are aimed at bringing behavioural change and at the same time, improving the social and economic conditions of the people. The key areas were; Environmental Sanitation, Decentralization and Empowerment of Assemblies, Small and Micro Enterprise (SME) Development and Social Housing.

The program includes the introduction of a sanitation day modeled on the concept being practiced in Lagos, Nigeria in which all Ghanaians would be required to take part in a national clean up exercise on the first Saturday of every month.

It is a strategy government is hoping, will ensure the streets are clean, and diseases such as typhoid and cholera eradicated. The country has recorded more than a hundred cholera related deaths this year, the highest ever.

But even before the programme is officially rolled out, Mr. Julius Debrah, who has been in office for barely three months, has told Joy News he will not hesitate to quit his post if after a year all these policies do not produce any positive outcome.

“If a year from now I’m not able to lead and implement situations [the policies] that will bring maximum change, I won’t even wait for anybody to tell me to resign,” the Minister told Seth Kwame Boateng.

He said although the success or failure of these policies, significantly hinges on the attitude of Ghanaians, he will not preside over a situation where preventable diseases kill Ghanaians as it is the case currently.

“The issue at stake involves attitudinal change. I will do my maximum best but honestly as a person who’s got my dignity and reputation to protect if [after a year] I notice that all the strategies that I will introduce are not yielding any results, I can humbly tell His Excellency [the President] that ‘Sir, I think I’m not doing what I’m supposed to do” he said.

The Ministry of Local Government is holding talks with traditional and religious leaders who are deemed to have some control over their subjects and followers to support the campaign.

He said a vigorous campaign message to change the attitude of Ghanaians towards environmental sanitation will be produced to support the initiative.