Government has begun a new phase of sanitation enforcement, marked by unannounced inspections of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), as part of efforts to end staged clean-ups and improve accountability at the local level.

The Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, said the approach is intended to ensure that cleanliness is treated as a continuous responsibility rather than a response to scheduled inspections.

“This was a Nicodemus call to the assemblies, we are moving away from the practice of giving advance notice, which allows people to pretend and deceive their supervisors. That must stop.”

The minister announced the new strategy at the National Sanitation Day, Christmas Edition in Accra on December 13, 2025, where he led a high-level inspection team on a series of surprise visits to selected assemblies.

Together with his Deputy Minister Rita Naa Odoley, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts and officials from the Ministry, Ibrahim toured Ayawaso East and West, Ayawaso West Wuogon, La Nkwantanang–Madina, before ending the exercise at the Adenta Municipal Assembly.

According to the minister, sanitation inspections will now be conducted simultaneously and without prior notice, with ministers and senior officials moving in different directions to obtain a true picture of conditions on the ground.

“This time, pretence should be a thing of the past, if we arrive at an assembly, and the leadership is absent, it simply shows a lack of seriousness.”

Ibrahim highlighted the role of the media in strengthening public accountability.

Sanitation to determine MMDCEs' performance – Local Government Minister

The minister said the intensified sanitation drive aligns with President John Dramani Mahama’s reset agenda, which prioritizes deliberate action and results-oriented governance.

“We cannot pretend to be governing and still expect results,” Ibrahim noted.

“We must be intentional and deliberate in everything we do. That is the essence of the reset agenda.”

He described the initiative as a nationwide wake-up call, stressing that it would extend beyond the Greater Accra Region to all parts of the country.

Ibrahim announced that from Monday, December 15, sanitation operations would be intensified nationwide.

The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, said Ghana’s image as a tourism destination depends largely on the cleanliness of its cities.

She appealed to traders operating along major roads to keep walkways clear for pedestrians, noting that street congestion worsens traffic challenges in urban centres.

Gomashie reaffirmed government’s commitment to working with local authorities, the media and the public to ensure clean, safe and welcoming cities as Ghana prepares for the Christmas and New Year festivities.

AM

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