MLGRD focuses on sanitation and three other areas

The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) is to focus on environmental sanitation to reduce the cholera outbreak throughout the country.

It will also pay attention to decentralization, promotion of small and medium scale enterprises, and social housing.

This is to enable Ghanaians to appreciate the activities of the Ministry, help it to set an agenda for itself and also to set targets for institutions under it, the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Julius Debrah said at a press conference at Koforidua.

He said the Ministry had designed short, medium and long term policies for the implementation of the issues that it would be focusing on.

Mr Kwadwo Agyekum, Deputy Minister, MLGRD, said the Ministry had received many proposals for the conversion of waste into energy and other raw materials and that the Ministry was still considering some of the proposals for adoption.

He explained that, one of the major benefits of the street naming exercise was for the effective planning of waste management and said the Ministry had also initiated programme for waste separation.

Mr Agyekum said under the project, buy bag centers would be mounted where people could sell their waste in bags for small amount.

Mr Nii Lante Vanderpuye. the Second Deputy Minister for the Ministry expressed regret that, it was only in Ghana that people see their neighbours dump refuse into drains and at unauthorized places and walk away without taking measures to stop it or call law enforcement authorities to enforce the law.

He said no laws nor could enforcement help improve upon the environmental sanitation without the total support and commitment of the people.

Mr Vanderpuye said the Ministry would be setting national days for cleaning when individuals, communities and groups would be expected to clean their surroundings and communities.