The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) has briefed stakeholders on the "Operation Clean Your Surroundings" campaign being implemented through
the support of the Twin-Cities in Sustainable Partnership Project (TCSPP). The event was to update key stakeholders on a campaign launched in November
last year to improve the insanitary living conditions in homes, workplaces, public areas and many other places across the Metropolis.
The briefing the meeting, on behalf of the Metropolitan Chief Executive, Hon. Abdul-Mumin Issah, the Public Relations Officer, Mr. John Laste,
emphasized the importance of maintaining a clean and healthy environment in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis. He highlighted the growing concerns
over indiscriminate dumping of waste, open defecation, choked drains, and the general lack of a culture of cleanliness within the communities.
He explained that the campaign aimed at enforcing the Assembly’s sanitation bye-laws, raising awareness on cleanliness, hygiene, environmental preservation, arresting, fining, prosecuting, name and shame sanitation-related offenders. He added that the campaign is designed to cause a change in bad behaviour and attitudes towards sanitation. He further noted that the initiative ensures that a taskforce visits households, eateries, hotels, markets, public toilet facilities, pubs and bars, transport terminals and others unannounced to inspect and arrest sanitation-related offences. He outlined the sensitization program embarked on by the Assembly before the commencement of the campaign, which included meetings with Assembly members, Religious Leaders, Hoteliers, Eatery operators, Market Queens, Transport Union Executives, Public toilet operators, Transport Terminal Operators, Butchers amongst others. According to Mr. Laste, the campaign team also visited mosques and chapels to engage congregants as well as Radio and Community Information Centers announcements.
He added that the taskforce has visited six communities, including Kojokrom, Adiembra, Takoradi Amanful, Sekondi Asafo, Takoradi Type A, B&C and Ntankoful. The team has inspected 62 facilities, including 11 houses, 23 eating premises, 10 public restrooms, 5 flour/corn mills and 2 lorry terminals. The task force has also arrested 18 people for open defecation in communities like New Takoradi, Bakano, Takoradi Amanful, Essaman, Ekuase, Bakakyir and Sekondi. The PRO mentioned some of the actions taken against offenders as the closure of facilities such as public toilets at Ntankoful and Adiembra, a sachet water producing company at Ntankoful, chop bar at Adiembra, kenkey food joint and corn mill at Takoradi-Type A. He added that processes have started to prosecute seven (7) offenders for failing to comply with the taskforce directives
Mr. John Laste disclosed significant successes achieved since the start of the campaign. He indicated that the public has demonstrated great awareness of sanitation issues, adding that the youth of Takoradi Assemblies of God Church has expressed an interest in starting volunteer community clean-up exercises in the metropolis to improve sanitation conditions. He also mentioned that facilities which were insanitary and unhygienic state, have been improved to acceptable standards whilst community members have taken up the responsibility of watchdogs reporting and confronting sanitation offenders in their vicinities to authorities. According to Mr. Laste, Ten thousand four hundred Ghana Cedis (Gh10,400) has been collected from fines to 41 offenders arrested by the taskforce during unannounced visits and open defecation arrests in the communities. The PRO in his presentation, finally indicated that the taskforce will continue its unannounced inspections across the metropolis with stiffer punishments for offenders arrested henceforth. He also emphasized the importance of collective responsibility and urged all participants to serve as ambassadors for the program within their various communities. The participants at the meeting engaged in a lively discussion, expressing their support for the program and providing valuable feedback on how to make it more effective. They highlighted the need for adequate resources to ensure the successful implementation of the campaign. Stakeholder at the briefing expressed their commitment to work collaboratively towards achieving a cleaner and healthier Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis.