MMDAs submit sanitation report to Local Government Minister

A committee set up by the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Akwasi Oppong-Ofosu, to look into sanitation problems in the country on Sunday presented the outcome of the results to him at the Ministry.

Members of the committee who were drawn from all the Metropolitan and Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the ten regions presented an over view of what is happening in sanitation and waste management in the country.

The Minister said, he requested the directorate for environmental health to convey the meeting so as to identify the problem areas in the various regions and find out how possible to solve them.

According to the Minister, the ministry had not signed any contract or entered into any agreement with any sanitation and waste management company for payment to be made; rather, MMDAs are responsible for such payment, since they collect revenues from the people.

He said the presentations made by the MMDAs would help the Ministry to come out with a lasting solution on curbing the menace and finding out how government would help in funding waste management in the country.

Mr Oppong-Ofosu tasked all district assemblies to prepare an action plan to deal with waste management under their domain.

Naa Lenason Demedeme, acting Director of Environmental Health Service Department of the Ministry said the issue of sanitation should not be a problem that Ghana cannot solve, adding that MMDAs collect money from the people or traders so they should make sanitation management their responsibility.

He lauded the presentation by the MMDAs and said this would enable the Ministry to find solution to problems that the assembly cannot solve.

“The exercise is a good one, and I hope it would be sustained, once it is sustained, Ghanaians would benefit from it”, he added.