The Secretary-General of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), Abraham Koomson, has expressed concern over what he described as the inadequate financial capacity of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to effectively carry out large-scale sanitation exercises.
According to him, although the recently concluded two-day National Cleanup Exercise was a commendable initiative, its impact was limited by insufficient preparation and inadequate funding for the Assemblies.
Speaking in an interview on Saturday, July 11, Mr. Koomson said the exercise did not achieve its full potential because many Assemblies lacked the resources needed to coordinate and sustain the clean-up effort effectively.
He stressed that if the nationwide sanitation campaign is to continue, government must ensure proper planning and provide adequate logistical and financial support to the Assemblies to enable them to execute their responsibilities efficiently.
Mr. Koomson also pointed to the heaps of refuse and debris that remained in some communities after the exercise as evidence of logistical challenges associated with the initiative.
He argued that waste collection trucks should have been strategically deployed across communities to facilitate the timely evacuation of refuse cleared from drains, streets and homes during the exercise.
According to him, the decline of factories and industries that previously supported community sanitation activities has further weakened local efforts to maintain environmental cleanliness.
President John Dramani Mahama led the nationwide two-day clean-up campaign following the devastating floods of June 29, which claimed lives and caused extensive damage in parts of the country.
Held under the theme, “Our Actions, Our Future: Cleaning Ghana after the Floods,” the exercise brought together citizens, security agencies, local authorities and waste management companies to clear debris, desilt choked drains and improve sanitation in flood-prone communities as part of efforts to prevent future disasters.
