Mrs Kate Opoku, Country Lead of Let’s Do It Ghana, an NGO, has called on Ghanaians to take personal responsibility for keeping the environment clean. She made the call during a clean-up exercise at Ananse Beach to mark this year’s World Cleanup Day. The exercise was organised by Let’s Do It Ghana in collaboration with Mayeko, with support from the Indian High Commission, volunteers, corporate organisations, partners and individuals committed to protecting the environment.
Mrs Opoku said World Cleanup Day provided an opportunity for people across the globe to clean their communities and raise awareness about the impact of waste on the environment. The initiative began in Estonia in 2008, when about 50,000 people came together to clean the country within five hours, and had since developed into a global movement. The United Nations adopted World Cleanup Day two years ago, further strengthening global efforts to address waste management challenges.
About 139 million people from 201 countries participated in World Cleanup Day last year, demonstrating what could be achieved when people united for a common environmental cause. Mrs Opoku said the decision to clean the beach was significant because waste generated inland was often carried through drains and waterways into the sea. She cautioned against indiscriminate littering, saying the practice contributed to the pollution of beaches and other water bodies.
Mrs Opoku urged the public to change their attitudes towards waste management by reducing their dependence on single-use plastics and adopting reusable and refillable alternatives. Environmental protection should not be viewed as the responsibility of government and environmental organisations alone, but as a shared responsibility requiring the active participation of every individual. This, she believes, is critical to addressing the growing global waste crisis.
Mr Robert Mills, Partnerships and Programme Lead at Mayeko, a non-governmental organisation, said the organisation had adopted Ananse Beach at Nungua in the Krowor Municipality to undertake regular clean-up exercises for one year. The initiative was being implemented in partnership with the Krowor Municipal Assembly to restore the beach and improve its environmental condition. Mayeko had been undertaking clean-up exercises at the beach since April.
Mr Surinder Bhagat, Indian High Commissioner to Ghana, called for collective action to protect and reclaim the country’s beaches, describing them as valuable assets critical to livelihoods, food security and the environment. Ghana’s marine waters were crucial to the economy, with small-scale marine fisheries accounting for more than 90 per cent of marine fishers in the country, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation.
The clean-up exercise was part of India’s Swachh Bharat (Clean India) campaign, anchored on the principle that “cleanliness is service”. The Indian High Commission was ready to collaborate with Mayeko, Let’s Do It Ghana and other partners on initiatives that would deliver long-term benefits to society. The High Commissioner quoted India’s independence leader, Mahatma Gandhi, saying sanitation was more important than political independence, emphasising that cleanliness and a healthy environment were fundamental to human life and dignity.
Key points
- There is no Planet B, and keeping our environment clean is our responsibility because this is our only home.
- About 139 million people from 201 countries participated in World Cleanup Day last year.
- Collective action is critical to addressing the growing global waste crisis.
