*Ayariga Vows Waste Management Overhaul; Insists Polluters Must Pay*
The Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, has announced a major overhaul of Ghana's waste management system to tackle the country's worsening sanitation crisis.
According to the Minister, the government will enforce strict payment of waste collection rates, compelling companies, factories and property owners to pay what is due to the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
Mr Ayariga said the move has become necessary due to the serious environmental and public health risks posed by poor waste management.
He gave the assurance on Monday when he toured key waste management facilities in Accra to assess their operations first-hand.
The facilities visited were the Lavender Hill faecal treatment plant at Korle-Bu, the Achimota-Abofu Transfer Station, the Kpone Landfill Site, the Kpone Landfill Decommissioning Project Site, and Zoomlion's Accra Compost and Recycling Plant (ACARP) at Adjen Kotoku.
He was accompanied by the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Ocloo; the Mayor of Accra, Michael Kpakpo Allotey; the MCE for Korle Klottey, Alfred Allotey-Gaisie; the CEO of the Jospong Group of Companies, Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong; and other officials of the Ministry.
At the Kpone Landfill Site - which serves Tema, Kpone-Katamanso and parts of Accra - the situation was dire. The facility has reached full capacity, with a strong stench engulfing the area.
Addressing journalists, Mr Ayariga said the assemblies would be empowered to collect their revenues to fund sanitation.
“The Local Government Ministry is going to insist on everybody paying what they are supposed to pay. If we collected the market rates and all the rates that everybody is supposed to pay to the city authorities, I am confident that a situation like this will not be beyond our capacity,” he said.
He was emphatic that the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) should not be used to finance waste management in Accra.
“The waste should not be paid from the common fund. Common fund is to be distributed to the rest of the country. So, you cannot choose to come and live in Accra and common fund that should come to me in Nadowli will be used to fund your lifestyle in Accra,” he stressed.
The Minister called on households, businesses and all stakeholders to support government’s efforts to address the sanitation challenge, adding that the Ministry will soon launch a massive campaign against sanitation indiscipline.
He also urged citizens to demand accountability from MMDAs to ensure rates collected are used for their intended purposes, and disclosed that he will immediately engage all MMDCEs and Regional Ministers on sustainable financing for waste management.
Meanwhile, the Vice President of Operations of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), Dr Fatima Farouk Elsheikh El Toum, who was part of the tour, commended government for its commitment and pledged BADEA’s support for initiatives to address Ghana’s waste challenge.
Report filed by PKB
