The government of Ghana is set to launch the National Sanitation Day (NSD) on Saturday, September 6, 2025, as part of efforts to ensure a cleaner environment, prevent diseases and encourage citizen participation in maintaining environmental hygiene.

President John Dramani Mahama is set to launch the NSD on Saturday, September 6, 2025, under the Clean-up Ghana Agenda initiative.

The NSD was first launched in 2014 during President Mahama's first tenure, setting aside every first Saturday of every month for nationwide clean up campaigns.

However, it gradually lost momentum under successive governments as it was not largely observed.

Under the reintroduced NSD, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executive (MMDCEs) will be at the core of implementing environmental and sanitation policies.

The Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, has tasked all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to take steps to rid all public spaces, ceremonial streets and choked drains of filth.

"In exercising the supervisory authority of the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, I hereby direct all MMDAs to ensure that all public spaces, ceremonial streets, and visible nuisances within your jurisdiction must be cleared by 8:00 am every day, beginning tomorrow, September 4, 2025," he stressed at a press briefing held on September 3, 2025.

Ahmed Ibrahim stressed that no MMDCE would keep their position if they failed to enforce sanitation laws to rid their jurisdiction of filth.

"The reintroduction of the NSD was a defining moment in the national journey towards environmental sanctity, and a test of our seriousness as a people, our commitment to public health, and our sense of national pride," he said.

Government to reintroduce National Sanitation Day to improve hygiene and waste management

He noted that first six months after the launch of the NSD would serve as a performance benchmark during which assemblies would be required to reduce the time frame for removal of waste in their jurisdictions.

The reintroduction of the NSD under the Clean Ghana and Reset Ghana Agenda aims to restore discipline in public spaces, empower local government structures to manage sanitation effectively and improve citizen accountability.

Sanitation to determine MMDCEs' performance – Local Government Minister

MMDCEs would be required to submit monthly reports on their sanitation activities to their respective Regional Coordinating Councils

The relaunch of the NSD also represents a renewed social contract between the government and citizens hinged on accountability, enforcement, and sustainability.

JKB/VPO

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