News:
Ing. George Aseidu,
November 1, 2022
Rwanda Kigali has the reputation of being one of the cleanest counties in Africa and has become a reference point in the discussions of cleanliness in Africa.
But Ing. George Aseidu, the Coordinator for the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) Sanitation and Water Project and the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area (GKMA) Sanitation and Water Project believes Ghana can make progress and be like Rwanda Kigali and even do better if we all come on board and change our mind and attitude.
According to him working together with all sector players, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and with everybody playing their part to change their mind set, “we can get there; Ghana is possible, Ghana, we can be like any cleaner city you know in the world not even Africa”.
Again, Rwanda Kigali has done it and it’s an example to Africa; an indication that we can do it.
According to him, Ghana is making significant progress in access to toilet facilities and stated that the country was hovering around 11 to 15 percent but is currently 25 percent just by the little intervention that has happened over the last ten years. I am sure if we are able to make progress in the next ten years to change our open deification and reduce it to this significant point, things can get better for us, he stated.
The Coordinator for the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) Sanitation and Water Project and the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area (GKMA) Sanitation and Water Project said GAMA’s initiative has changed the attitude of people to stop the behavior of open defecation at the beaches in most cases; to the extent that people have seen the need to own toilet and made is accessible with a huge demand for it in low income areas, and added that there is trouble from beneficiaries when they pay money and it is not delivered to them on time.
“All because education and sensitization has gone well and we can do exactly what Rwanda has done. I can say we have studied their situation because the leadership has gotten everybody on board, everybody understood that this is for us and it is about us and for our benefit. So ones the factors are understood clearly that we are doing this for no other person but for ourselves and that it is for our benefit and our country, everybody would be on board”.
He recounted an experience of a friend in Rwanda who was alerted by a citizen and directed to a dustbin to properly dispose of a waste that dropped from his bag while walking on the street. This, he said shows that the people themselves are conscious of a clean environment, they do not want to litter around, this is the understanding of the people themselves. “Ghana, we can get there, we need the right policy, we need the right regulatory framework that we would be able to enforce our laws. And before we get to enforcement, we need to get the people to rally behind you to appreciate the need to ensure clean environment”.
He further pointed out that, one thing that hinders our progress mostly in Ghana is the seeming political game that exist between the two leading parties – NPP and NDC. He expressed hope that when we are able to get over this hurdle and for everybody to know that it is about the country Ghana, it is about the leadership leading us to a better place no matter the government in place. If the people get this understanding and the need for them to move out of their political jacket and see every effort towards improving our environment is for our well-being and not about political interest group, then we would get the cooperation.
“I am confidence in the sense that, when you look at the 2020 elections both major parties manifesto was virtually the same, they were all talking about improving the environment and having sanitation Ministry, National Sanitation Authority. If you look at the approach and strategy they did not differ when it comes to sanitation”.
Also there is the cooperation of all the political leadership all across and if it happened that , we have a policy that no one is fighting against, we would be able to make progress and the citizens would see the need to they would be able to change their attitude and do the needful and ensure the country becomes clean.
“I have been advising that the call by the president was a good one, he is the leader, if we follow this call with action by making sanitation one of his priorities on his agenda. I am told the sanitation Ministry is part of his cabinet for that matter it has become one of the priorities to government and providing the necessary logistics”
He said GAMA in considering all factors that will bring the change in ensuring cleanliness developed its sanitation slogan which says, “you play your part, change your mind and your attitude. Stop indiscriminate littering and stop open defecating and make sure you keep your environment clean. Make sure you do not do things that would cause harm and sickness to your neighbor; ones you do that you ensure your health”.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Dominic Shirimori /Ghanamps.com