Let’s make Accra the cleanest city in Africa

Dear Editor,

Sanitation in Accra has become a pressing topic over the years.

Accra was previously a very beau­tiful and attractive city in nature. People came from far and near to see the beauty of this wonderful city. It was a city enriched with Ghanaian cul­ture which attracted both tourists and investors.

One may argue that some of the above mentioned qualities still hold, but then, these people are now greet­ed with heaps of rubbish and over­flowing dustbins at bus stops, markets and all around the city.

Plastic and rubber bags dispersed along walkways and road sides. Gut­ters choked with rubbers and stagnant waters releasing bad and unpleasant smells polluting the air, making it uncomfortable to walk around the city and creating an unsafe atmosphere.

All these are caused by poor sanita­tion behaviours of the citizens. Litter­ing around, dumping of waste material in gutters which gets the choked.

These activities also cause floods during the rainy season. Stagnant waters also breeds mosquitoes which leads to malaria outbreaks. Other diseases like cholera and diarrhea are also caused by these.

The government over the years has put in place measures to turn the situation around.

Apart from the government’s man­ifesto promise in 2017 to make Accra the cleanest city in Africa, there have been several campaigns and aware­ness creation to stem the tide.

In March 2022, the former minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Mrs. Cecilia Abena Dapaah launched a bio-digester construction to help increase the number of toilets in the country.

Non-governmental organizations like Water Aid have also contributed to making Accra very clean.

Groups like the Bus Stop boys have organised clean up exercises to make the city clean.

There is also the Clean Ghana Sanitation Project which is committed to providing portable toilet facilities and sanitation services to low income residents in Ghana.

The question, therefore, is when this agenda would be achieved.

It all boils down to the citizens. We all have to make up our minds to come together and restore the true identity of Accra. Let’s make it the once beautiful city we knew.

Eunice Tetteh

tetteheunice246@gmail.com

University of Media Arts and Com­munication-Institute of Journalism

UNIMAC-IJ (Faculty of Journalism)

NAASHORMEYCHRISTABEL@GMAIL. COM