National Sanitation Day Rescheduled to May 3, 2025 — Emergency Clean-Up Operation Planned

The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, has announced that National Sanitation Day (NSD) has been rescheduled from April 5 to Saturday, May 3, 2025. The upcoming exercise will be treated as an emergency clean-up operation, with full logistical support from both government and environmental service providers.

“The National Sanitation Day on May 3 is going to be an emergency evacuation where all environmental service providers are going to be onboard,” Ibrahim stated. “We are going to clean, desilt all our gutters, send all the plastic waste to the recycling plant, and the organic waste to designated sites.”

Broad Support and Community Mobilization

Ibrahim made the announcement during an engagement with key leaders of major Christian religious institutions, including the Christian Council of Ghana, the Presbyterian Church of Ghana Headquarters, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Greater Accra Region.

The outreach is part of a broader effort to galvanize national support through faith-based organizations and promote community participation in the initiative.

Recycling Over Plastic Ban

Ibrahim also addressed long-term waste management strategies, emphasizing that while an outright ban on plastics may not be immediately practical, the government is prioritizing waste segregation and recycling.

“With recycling plants already established in the country, the focus now is on public education and encouraging people to separate their waste properly,” he explained.

To support this initiative, some recycling equipment has been acquired to enhance the country’s capacity to manage plastic waste and improve overall public hygiene.

Faith Leaders Called to Action

With Easter approaching, the minister urged Christian leaders to use their platforms to promote a culture of cleanliness, urging them to incorporate sanitation messaging into their sermons and church programs.

“This is not just a government effort. It’s a national responsibility. The church has the power to shape mindsets and encourage civic duty,” he said.

Fighting Cholera Through Cleanliness

Ahmed Ibrahim noted that disease outbreaks like cholera continue to affect some parts of the country, reinforcing the urgency of improved sanitation practices.

The government hopes that this rescheduled and upgraded National Sanitation Day will mark a turning point in public participation and pave the way for a cleaner, healthier Ghana.