TEMA, Ghana, 11 July: Secretary General of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), Abraham Koomson, has stated that the recently concluded two-day National Cleanup Exercise exposed the inadequate financial capacity of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to effectively undertake such sanitation exercises.
According to him, while the initiative was commendable, it fell short of expectations due to poor preparation and the lack of sufficient resources for the Assemblies.
“Obviously, the exercise wasn’t as effective as envisaged because of inadequate preparations. The Assemblies lacked adequate funds to undertake the exercise,” he said.
Speaking in an interview monitored by Ahotoronline.com on Saturday, July 11, Abraham Koomson stressed that since the nationwide cleanup campaign is expected to continue, government must ensure better planning and adequately resource the Assemblies to enable them to carry out their sanitation mandate effectively.
“Since the cleaning is going to continue, there must be proper preparation, and the Assemblies must be adequately resourced to carry out their mandate,” he stated.
Mr. Koomson also expressed concern over the heaps of filth, debris and refuse that remained on several streets after the exercise, describing it as evidence of poor logistical planning.
He argued that waste collection trucks should have been strategically deployed across communities so residents could conveniently dispose of waste cleared from gutters, streets and private homes.
“Trucks should have been deployed all over so that waste from private homes, streets and gutters could be collected and disposed of promptly. Unfortunately, the factories and industries that used to provide financial support for such community sanitation exercises are no longer operational or have become defunct,” he noted.
President John Dramani Mahama led the massive two-day National Cleanup Exercise across flood-affected regions following the devastating June 29 floods that claimed lives and caused widespread destruction.
Held under the theme, “Our Actions, Our Future: Cleaning Ghana after the Floods,” the nationwide exercise brought together citizens, the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana Police Service, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, and waste management companies to clear debris, desilt choked drains and improve environmental sanitation as part of efforts to reduce the risk of future flooding.
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh(#RomeoWrites✍️)/ Presidential Affairs Correspondent | Ghana 🇬🇭