The Meridian Presbytery Synod Moderator of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana (EPCG), Rev. Samuel Senanu Asieni, has described the state of Ghana’s environmental sanitation as ‘appalling’, and therefore urged the government, faith-based organizations, and other relevant stakeholder institutions to put in place pragmatic advocacy and disciplinary measures to curb the canker.

“We need to rise to our moral and religious stewardship responsibilities, and treat as a critical national catastrophe, the pollution of our water bodies, indiscriminate waste disposal, and the unhygienic state of some public facilities, and to enhance decency in the space of the country’s environmental sanitation. A clean society is a healthy and productive society,” he remarked.

Rev. Samuel Asieni was addressing participants of the 13th Extraordinary Synod of the EPCG Meridian Presbytery held at Adenta in Accra. The Synod, held under the theme, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness! Keep Clean,” brought together more than 200 participants, including 130 delegates as synod commissioners drawn from 20 districts and parishes of the Meridian Presbytery.

Rev. Asieni urged the Church to serve as the light of the world and a faithful advocate in preaching against indiscriminate waste disposal and unhygienic lifestyles, while ensuring the adoption of the culture of cleanliness.

He also urged Christian faith stewards to be guided by their values, moral purity, integrity, and uprightness as faithful stewards worthy of emulation and stimulating effective behavioral change towards building a clean environment.

Presenting an exposition on the Synod theme, the District Pastor of EPCG North Legon in Accra, Rev. Dr. Mrs. Vida Felicity Asima, proposed the institution of national environmental sanitation special days in educational institutions and faith-based organizations to promote initiatives of advocacy and sanitation through cleaning exercises.

She described ‘cleanliness’ as the state of keeping personal and surroundings free from dirt, filth, and impurity, whilst adding that ‘Godliness’ is the practice of adopting virtues of moral uprightness, reverence, and a God-centered life.

“The theme is pointing to physical and Spiritual cleanliness of self and physical environment to demonstrate God’s relationship with God,” Rev. Dr. Mrs. Asima stated.

She appealed to the government to equip the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies with the necessary logistics and resources, including the deployment of environmental health supervisors to facilitate the enhancement of decency in environmental health and sanitation.