ATV launches campaign to combat filth in Ghana

Amansan Television (ATV), a private tv station has launched a campaign against filth dubbed "Stop The Filth Now".

The campaign which was launched in Accra on Wednesday is aimed at creating awareness and use educative discourse to help change people's attitudes toward sanitation issues, particularly on plastic waste.

Speaking at the launch, the Greater Accra Regional Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr Archibald Cobbina said if the courts were to be committing sanitation related offenders to community service instead of custodial sentences, it would go a long way to help change attitudes as well as keep the country clean.

"We should sentence people to community service to help clean the filth in the country," he said, adding that "we should put people to work."

He argued that the prisons were full, hence giving custodial sentences to persons found guilty of sanitation related offences would not be of any benefit to the state.
Instead, he suggested, giving community service sentences to such persons by designating a particular community or an area for the offenders to clean.

He said the country was deeply engulfed in filth and every necessary effort must be instituted to deal with the situation.

Some of the guests at the launch

The Head of News at ATV, Mr Michael Kunke said Ghana as a nation "is drowning in filth", hence the need to adopt a proactive approach in dealing with the menace.

He appealed to local authorities to enforce sanitation by-laws so as to help deal with the soaring insanitary conditions in the country.

The Vice President of Business Development and Finance of the Groupe Nduom, Dr Nana Kweku Nduom, who served as the Chairperson for the occasion said there was the need to find a more practical way to turn plastic waste into money generating ventures.

That, he said, would encourage people not to litter anyhow in their environment.

He said the poor sanitation conditions across the country must be of concern to every citizen, adding that we cannot have quality life if we live in filth.

He said Groupe Nduom would continue to embark on social intervention projects to help address some of the challenges facing the country.

Some of the dignitaries at the launch including Dr Nana Kweku Nduom (extreme left)