The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has urged Ghanaians to make citizen arrests of people who flout the by-laws on sanitation in Ghana.
Public Relations Officer of the AMA, Gilbert Ankrah, noted that ensuring the city is clean is a shared responsibility and as such all Ghanaians must endeavor to share in this responsibility.
“As citizens, we have a role to play in terms of citizenry policing. If you see someone dumping refuse, you have the responsibility to arrest such a person and send the person to the nearest assembly to ensure that the laws work.”
Gilbert Ankrah
The PRO further said that previously, these initiatives by citizens yielded positive results. He then assured that when these issues of arrests get to Assembly, it will move to deal with all culprits.
“There was once a viral video of people dumping their refuse in the gutters during the rainy season. It was a citizen who took the video which helped us to arrest such persons for the law to deal with them. So, we have to speak up as citizens on things that are going wrong in our communities.”
Gilbert Ankrah
Meanwhile, the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has been urged to help sensitize Ghanaians;on the need to segregate waste and ensure that their environs are always clean.
According to members of four parliamentary select committees for Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) that is Sanitation, Works and Housing, Environment and Finance, the NCCE is a very important tool that can support the making Ghana clean agenda.
Educate citizens on waste segregation
Addressing the media, a member of the LGRD Committee, Freda Prempeh, stated that the NCCE can expand their scope to educate;Ghanaians on especially waste segregation and other sanitation issues.
“It is true NCCE is saddled with funds. However, that should not make them sit back and always be seen complaining. They have a role to play in the sanitation space by educating all of us on waste segregation;and the need to always keep our environs clean.”
Freda Prempeh
According to her, it was imperative that waste segregation is imbibed in our homes, schools, officers and our environs. Furthermore, she said that the waste segregation campaign when well implemented will help prevent choked gutters and drains.
Such a move, she said, aside from keeping our environs clean, will also facilitate the work of the Integrated Recycling and Compost Plant (IRECoPs) being constructed across the sixteen (16) regions of the country.
She also asked Ghanaians to embrace and accept the sanitation levy. Additionally, she posited that it will help a lot;in the management of waste in the country.
“We should all accept the Sanitation Levy because when approved by Parliament. It will help us to manage waste in this country.”
Freda Prempeh
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, has made a pledge to ensure that ‘Accra Work’ again under his administration.
He has outlined strategies in dealing with security, issues of Chieftaincy and most importantly sanitation. With his “operation clean your frontage” campaign, it will require every institution or Corporate Body in the Region; to use an hour to clean their environment before work begins.
