70 Sanitation Guards go through orientation in Upper West

WA, June 12, GNA- Seventy sanitation guards, recruited by the Ministry of Local Government, Rural development and Environment for five of the eight Municipal and District Assemblies in the Upper West Region were on Monday taken through an orientation course. Assemblies that are to benefit from the services of the Guards recruited under the National youth Employment Programme (NYEP) are Wa Municipal, Wa East, Wa West, Jirapa/Lambussie and Lawra districts. That of Sissala East, Sissala West and Nadowli districts would be held later.

Addressing the participants, Mr Demedeme Naa, Director of Sanitation of the Ministry said the concept has been designed to give backup support to the technical staff of the Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit of the various Assemblies in order to improve and promote good sanitation in the country. He said the programme has been piloted in the Techiman Municipal Assembly in the Brong-Ahafo Region and it has proved successful, hence the need to extent it to the other parts of the country. Mr Naa disclosed that the Ministry had directed all Assemblies to make adequate arrangements for the setting up of District Courts and set aside special days for the trial of sanitary offenders. He told the recruits that the programme was community based and that those of them who were not prepared to reside in the communities assigned to them should better quit.

He urged them to work to justify the inception of the programme, which has the aim of eliminating epidemics from the communities, saying "it is not job for party people that is why we have a technical staff of the Ministry at the helm of affairs". 12 June 07