Accra: Mr. Ahmed Ibrahim, the Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs (MLGCRA), has announced that the reintroduction of the National Sanitation Day (NSD) serves as a renewed social contract between the government and citizens, emphasizing accountability, enforcement, and sustainability.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr. Ibrahim highlighted the significant challenges Ghana faces in sanitation and waste management, such as indiscriminate dumping of refuse, choked drains contributing to perennial flooding, and unsightly waste heaps in markets. The Minister addressed these issues at a press conference, providing important information on the NSD and giving directives to all Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) before the official launch by President John Dramani Mahama in Accra.
The NSD is scheduled to be officially launched on Saturday, September 6, 2025, at the Institute of Local Government Studies in Madina, Accra. This initiative is a key part of the Government's 'Clean Up Ghana Agenda.' Mr. Ibrahim stated that the NSD, first launched in 2014, demonstrated the positive impact when citizens, assemblies, traditional leaders, and civil society collaborate to create cleaner and healthier communities.
The relaunch aims to restore discipline and pride in public spaces, with a focus on public health and national dignity. The initiative also seeks to empower local government structures and foster citizen participation and accountability. Sanitation will now be integrated as a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for MMDCEs, with assemblies expected to take ownership and leadership in ensuring sustainable cleanliness.
The Minister instructed all MMDCEs to clear public spaces, ceremonial streets, and visible nuisances within their jurisdictions by 8:00 a.m. daily, starting September 4, 2025. This directive will be sustained across all assemblies, with the first six months serving as a performance benchmark to progressively shorten the timeframe for nuisance removal.
Mr. Ibrahim emphasized the importance of desilting drains, removing waste heaps, and regularly cleaning ceremonial routes, markets, lorry stations, schools, and public spaces. Assemblies are urged to mobilize and deploy environmental health officers, waste management officers, private waste service providers, community volunteers, and citizens to ensure compliance with this directive.
The Minister acknowledged the issue of insufficient funds as a common excuse for non-performance in the sanitation sector. To address this, 80 percent of the District Assemblies Common Fund has been released to the assemblies, with part allocated for this exercise.
Additional accountability measures are being introduced, including a dedicated sanitation hotline for citizens to report public cleansing nuisances directly to the Ministry. Reports will be catalogued, verified, and followed up with relevant assemblies for immediate action. A central dashboard will track reports, responses, and assembly performance to ensure real-time supervision and national oversight.
Mr. Ibrahim called on media houses in Ghana to support districts in educating citizens, as improved sanitation worldwide is built on public attitudes. He also urged Members of Parliament to mobilize communities, monitor performance in their constituencies, and hold assemblies accountable.