Strengthening urban sanitation through integrated municipal strategies - Lessons from Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly (KoKMA)
Urban sanitation remains one of the most persistent governance challenges confronting Ghana’s metropolitan areas.
In high-density commercial municipalities such as the Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly, the interaction between markets, transport terminals, informal economic activities, and expanding night-time operations has increased pressure on environmental health systems.
The result has often been recurring issues such as indiscriminate waste disposal, congestion, clogged drains, weak enforcement of sanitation by-laws, and rising public health risks. In response, the assembly has shifted from fragmented interventions towards a more integrated and system-oriented sanitation model.
This approach combines institutional reforms, infrastructure investment, enforcement mechanisms, sustainable financial strategies and community-level engagement into a coherent urban management strategy, rather than treating sanitation as a routine operational task.
Fundamental shift and strategic alignment
Service delivery through public-private partnerships.
Recognising the limitations of traditional in-house systems characterised by irregular waste collection, limited personnel, weak supervision and inadequate logistics, the assembly has outsourced key public cleansing functions, particularly on principal streets, markets, and transport terminals.
This shift introduces performance-based service delivery anchored on clear operational standards, routine monitoring, and measurable outputs.
Private service providers are required to undertake daily sweeping, continuous litter picking, edge cleansing and regular waste collection under defined service protocols.
These activities are reinforced by strict supervision, performance tracking, capacity building and accountability measures, including administrative sanctions for non-performance.
The introduction of service standard delivery checks and daily monitoring systems, including performance comparisons across operational zones, has significantly strengthened compliance and improved efficiency.
This model not only enhances service quality but also allows the assembly to focus on its core mandate of regulation, policy development, capacity building, planning and monitoring.
Advancing circular economy and waste infrastructure systems
Beyond service delivery reforms, the assembly is advancing a circular economy approach that redefines waste as a resource rather than a burden.
This is operationalised through the establishment of a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) and the deployment of metallic triple-compartment waste segregation bins at strategic locations across the municipality.
These bins, designed to separate plastics, bottles, and organic waste at source, address the long-standing challenge of mixed waste streams that undermine recycling efforts.
Through this, the assembly enhances the quality of recyclable materials, reduces contamination, and lowers the cost of waste management operations.
The system is supported by logistics such as the deployment of “borla taxis” for the swift collection of segregated waste and its transportation to the MRF. Ongoing public sensitisation campaigns further reinforce behavioural change, encouraging residents and traders to adopt responsible waste disposal practices.
Furthermore, this approach generates economic value through recycling, supports green job creation, and contributes to revenue mobilisation.
It also aligns with broader national priorities, including the transition towards a 24-hour economy, where efficient and continuous waste management systems are essential.
Strengthening enforcement and 24-hour sanitation systems
Infrastructure and service delivery alone are insufficient without effective enforcement.
The assembly has therefore intensified regulatory mechanisms through the establishment of a structured 24-hour sanitation, decongestion, and municipal security patrol system.
This system represents a significant departure from periodic enforcement exercises to a continuous, shift-based operational model.
Patrol teams operate across day and night, combining static monitoring at identified hotspots with mobile response teams to address illegal dumping, unauthorised trading, open defecation, and other sanitary-related offences in real time.
Complementary enforcement strategies include weekly field operations by Environmental Health Officers and targeted campaigns such as “Operation Clean Your Frontage,” National Sanitation Day clean-ups, which have resulted in increased compliance and successful prosecution of offenders.
These measures are supported by public education campaigns, stakeholder engagement, and media sensitisation to ensure that enforcement is both corrective and preventive.
The continuous presence of enforcement teams not only deters non-compliance but also enhances public confidence and supports safer, cleaner urban environments, particularly within the context of expanding night-time economic activities.
Promoting household integration and community ownership
Sustaining sanitation improvements requires extending interventions beyond public spaces into households and communities.
The assembly has therefore strengthened door-to-door waste collection systems through area-based service models and the engagement of additional private service providers.
A notable innovation is the formal integration of informal waste collectors into structured cooperatives, with clearly defined operational zones and responsibilities.
This approach improves efficiency, enhances accountability, and creates inclusive livelihood opportunities within the sanitation value chain.
At the community level, the establishment of sanitation watchdog groups composed of unit committee members and volunteers has strengthened local monitoring and reporting of sanitation offences.
These groups play a critical role in reinforcing by-law compliance and fostering collective responsibility for environmental cleanliness.
Additional measures, including routine clean-up exercises, installation of warning and punitive signage, and continuous public education, further embed responsible sanitation behaviours within communities.
This integrated approach ensures that sanitation systems are not only operationally effective but socially sustainable.
Challenges and policy recommendations
Despite these gains, significant challenges remain. Limited land availability for waste infrastructure, difficulties in controlling informal dumping behaviours, inadequate waste collection logistics, and delays associated with far-reaching disposal sites continue to constrain progress.
Rapid urbanisation and the persistence of informal economic activities further complicate enforcement and service delivery efforts.
Addressing these challenges requires sustained investment in waste infrastructure, including engineered landfill systems, expanded transfer stations, and composting facilities.
Strengthening the circular economy model through material recovery and recycling initiatives will be critical in reducing pressure on landfill sites.
Equally important is the need to deepen community engagement, strengthen institutional capacity, and provide continuous motivation and support for frontline environmental health personnel.
Integrating informal waste actors more effectively into the formal system and enforcing extended producer responsibility mechanisms can further enhance sustainability.
Lessons learned and takeaways
The experience of Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly demonstrates that urban sanitation challenges can be effectively addressed through integrated systemic-driven strategies that combine institutional reforms, infrastructure investment, enforcement and community participation.
Rather than relying on isolated interventions, the assembly’s approach reflects a comprehensive model of urban governance that prioritises sustainability, accountability, and public health.
As Ghana continues to urbanise, lessons from such municipal initiatives offer valuable insights for other assemblies seeking to build cleaner, healthier, and more resilient cities.
The path forward lies not only in policy formulation but in sustained and coordinated actions that translate strategies into visible and lasting improvements in the urban environment.
Mr Baisie is the Municipal Coordinating Director, KoKMA
Dr Samuel Maneen is the Head of the Environmental Health and Safety Unit.
