Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, has called on residents to take greater responsibility for sanitation by ensuring waste is properly disposed of, rather than leaving it outside their homes for government authorities to collect. He emphasized that keeping communities clean is a shared responsibility that goes beyond individual homes to include the surrounding environment. Ayariga made these remarks while commending the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) for procuring 20 tricycles to support waste collection and sanitation activities.
The 20 tricycles were procured by the AMA using its internally generated funds, following requests from assembly members for equipment to support sanitation activities in their respective electoral areas. AMA Mayor, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, said the assembly members had asked him to provide the equipment within one or two months, and the Assembly fulfilled the request last week. The tricycles are part of efforts to advance President John Dramani Mahama's vision of making Accra a cleaner and greener city.
The tricycles will be distributed across the 20 electoral areas to help assembly members respond to sanitation complaints, evacuate accumulated refuse, and address problems such as gutters requiring desilting. Presiding Member of the AMA and Assembly Member for the Amamomo Electoral Area, Musa Ziyad, said having the tricycles available in the electoral areas would allow assembly members to respond more quickly when residents reported sanitation problems.
Ayariga also urged other metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies to emulate the AMA's initiative by investing their Internally Generated Funds (IGF) in projects that address sanitation challenges. He disclosed that the government was working with development partners to construct additional landfill sites, while investing in transfer stations and vehicles to improve waste collection and evacuation.
The initiative forms part of the AMA's efforts to strengthen community-level sanitation and improve waste management across the capital. The AMA's efforts are aimed at addressing the challenges of waste management in Accra, and the deployment of the tricycles is a step towards achieving this goal.
Residents have been urged to cooperate with the AMA and other authorities to ensure effective waste management. Ayariga stressed that sometimes people clean their homes but put the waste right in front, expecting the government to come and take it away. He emphasized that sanitation is a collective responsibility that requires the cooperation of all residents.
The AMA's efforts to improve waste management have been ongoing, with the assembly working to address the challenges of waste collection and disposal in Accra. The deployment of the 20 tricycles is part of a broader strategy to improve sanitation and waste management in the city.
Key points
- The Accra Metropolitan Assembly has deployed 20 tricycles to support waste collection and sanitation activities across its 20 electoral areas.
- Minister Mahama Ayariga has urged residents to take greater responsibility for sanitation by properly disposing of waste.
- The government is working with development partners to construct additional landfill sites and improve waste collection and evacuation.
