GhanaWeb Feature by Joycelyn Kyei-Baffuor
Accra continues to face significant sanitation challenges, with filthy
streets, overflowing landfills, and polluted water bodies tarnishing the
city’s image.
Despite the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government’s promises and
initiatives aimed at making Accra Africa’s cleanest city, progress has
been sluggish.
In 2017 President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo pledged to
restore Accra’s former bea” particularly in Jamestown and British
Accra
“The beauty of Qur national capital has deteriorated over the years
due to various humnan activities that have marred this once glorious
city. When was growing up in Accra, Jamestown was the heart of
the city. History has taken that away from the good people of this
area
In our time, we are going to bring back the glory of Jamestown and
British Accra. The transformation that we envision for Ghana is one
that will cover all parts of the country, and Jamestown will not be left
out he pledged.
This ambitious goal led to the establishment of the Ministry
of
Sanitation and Water Resources. the introduction of the National
Sanitation Day for monthly clean-up exercises, and various waste
management projects aimed at building waste treatment plants ,enhancing waste collection services, and promoting recycling efforts.
However, critics argue that these efforts have fallen short due to inadequate funding, poor enforcement of sanitation laws,
and limited infrastructure for waste management.
The situation has prompted the need to analyses comparisons between the Accra case and the cities of other African
countries known for their successful stories of adequately tackling sanitation
The Rwandan example:
Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, serves as a compelling example of successful cleanliness initiatives.
For instance, the city banned single-use plastic bags in 2008 and promoted the production of biodegradable packaging
materials while also initiating urban forestry and community-driven tree planting campaigns.
Today, Kigali stands as a visibly clean city, with residents taking pride in their environment.
A Recent report by the United Nations Development Programme UNDP) highlighted Rwandas waste management
approach further.
Walking the streets of Kigali one will find no plastic litter o overflowing trash bins thanks to a system where waste is
segregated at the household level and managed b private companies competing for government contracts, the report said
Port Louis, Mauritius:
Similarly Port Louis. Mauritius. has achieved success through collaboration with private companies for waste collection and
management
According to a report by further africa.com, the government of Mauritius heavily invests in waste management in the country
The Municipal City Council handles Port Louis cleanliness. The government allocates significant funds annually to maintain
cleanliness, and tropical plants around the city contribute heavily to its immaculate nature it stated
Tunis, Tunisia:
The above report further noted that Tunis, the capital city of Tunisia, is the largest and cleanest city in North Africa
