The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, has called on Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), sanitation workers and other stakeholders to continue the nationwide clean-up exercise beyond the two-day period originally announced by the president.
The minister made the appeal during a visit to teams carrying out sanitation activities, where he commended workers for remaining on the job and encouraged them not to slow down until communities are properly cleaned.
According to the minister, the exercise should continue through Saturday, July 18 and could be extended further if necessary to achieve the desired results.
“That is why we are continuing. Please continue until Saturday, and if there is any further directive, we will give it to you,” he told the workers.
He stressed that Ghana must improve its sanitation standards as the country approaches its 70th anniversary, noting that poor sanitation continues to contribute to preventable diseases and deaths.
Ahmed Ibrahim also praised sanitation workers and assembly officials for not treating the end of the initial two-day exercise as the end of their responsibilities.
“You are doing a very good job by continuing the work that has started. Don’t go back to your offices thinking the exercise is over and it is time to rest. Once you are in public office, it is not resting time.” he added.
President Mahama directed the nationwide clean-up exercise as part of efforts to improve environmental sanitation, following recent flooding and concerns over waste management in several parts of the country.
Although the original directive covered Friday and Saturday, July 10-11, the Ministry of Local Government has expanded the operation to include the evacuation of refuse, the clearing of illegal dumping sites, decongestion of waste collection points and other sanitation activities in affected communities.
Earlier in the day, he explained that his tour of the ongoing exercise was intended to assess the work being done on the ground, interact with field teams and gain first-hand knowledge of the progress made so far.
