Local Government Minister and Member of Parliament for Banda, Ahmed Ibrahim, pledged that he and his colleagues would maintain pressure on the ongoing clean-up exercise, describing the effort as one that would continue without pause into its second day and beyond.
Addressing the exercise, the Minister commended the progress made on the first day, noting that a significant volume of refuse had been cleared from the streets. He credited this success to President Mahama’s directive that opened transit stations and landfill sites to the public free of charge.
“Yesterday, we were able to bring a lot of refuse on the streets. And as we expected before we came, most of the refuse were in the houses.
“But because of your intervention to open all the transit stations and the landfill sites, and to give freedom that they should bring the refuse for free, everybody is bringing just the refuse left, right, centre”.
Local Government Minister and MP for Banda, Ahmed Ibrahim
Streets Clear Faster as Access Widens
The Minister observed that the decision to grant free access to disposal sites had triggered a strong response from residents, particularly in Accra, where waste that had accumulated indoors was now being brought out in large quantities.
“And therefore, all the streets across the country, especially in Accra, the more you evacuate, the more they bring,” he said. He expressed satisfaction that the exercise had resumed for a second consecutive day and reaffirmed his commitment, alongside regional and district officials, to keep the momentum going.
“But myself and my sister, the regional minister, with the MPs and the MMDCs, even today being the second day, we are not going to relent. We are going to continue”.
Local Government Minister and MP for Banda, Ahmed Ibrahim
Call to Keep Transfer Stations Open
Ahmed Ibrahim raised concerns about what could happen if the transfer stations and landfill sites were closed too soon. He warned that residents who still had waste stored in their homes would continue to hold onto it until the next rainfall, at which point the refuse would likely end up back in the gutters.
He argued that sustained access to disposal sites over the coming days would allow residents enough time to clear out accumulated waste properly, rather than storing it until the next crisis forces their hand.
Personal Commitment to the Exercise
The Minister went further by pledging to set aside his personal schedule to remain involved in the clean-up. He announced that he would forgo his usual church service the following day to continue overseeing evacuation efforts on the ground.
“Clearly, once we create that access, the stations will be opened, and within the next one week or ten days, your Pentecost Elder, I will not go to church. Tomorrow, my church service will be held here. We will come and make sure that we do the evacuation, until we finish, to bring you the report that you want”.
Local Government Minister and MP for Banda, Ahmed Ibrahim
He assured that the exercise would proceed in phases, with waste evacuation followed by sweeping, to meet the standard expected of the initiative. He promised that a full report would be submitted once the work was complete.
The Minister closed his remarks by acknowledging the leadership of President Mahama in driving the exercise forward, expressing gratitude for the direction given so far. “Thank you for your distinguished and excellent leadership,” he said.
His comments reflect a broader push by government officials to sustain the clean-up beyond its initial days, with continued access to disposal sites seen as central to preventing a relapse into the conditions that contributed to the recent flooding.
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