MDG on sanitation unattainable by 2015
The President of the Environmental Service Providers Association, Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong, has said the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of halving the proportion of people without basic sanitation by 2015 is most likely unattainable.
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That, he said, was as a result of the current sanitation situation in the country and the lack of institutional support to help attain the target.
“Factors like the uncooperative attitude of the public towards good sanitary practices, combined with low revenues from waste collection, have also contributed to the low impact,” he added.
Dr Agyepong made this known during the launch of a new logo and the rebranding of ESPA in Accra yesterday) on the theme, “Coming Together to Keep Ghana Clean.”
In attendance were some ministers of state, members of Parliament, chiefs, metropolitan and district chief executives, assembly members, ESPA members, among others.
About ESPA
ESPA was incorporated as a company limited by guarantee in 2001 to serve as an advocacy body for environmental service providers in the country.
It has over the years maintained an active collaborative stakeholder relationship with the MMDAs in the delivery and provision of solid and liquid waste management services to the citizenry.
ESPA President’s Address
Dr Agyepong said the missing link in the attainment of a sustainable clean environment was the structure and active involvement of service providers in the implementation of policy initiatives.
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“It is time for us to bring the environmental service provider into sharp focus in our implementation of plans, otherwise, scores of donor support for sanitation and waste management may not yield the desired results,” he added.
He said the ESPA also had an indigenous solution to the problem of sanitation in the country as well as attaining the MDG 7.
He said a comparative analysis of waste management situations across cities globally indicated that with sustained effort, Ghana could achieve waste collection efficiency.
For instance, Dr Agyepong said, Accra’s daily waste generation was 2,500 tonnes with a collection efficiency of 75 per cent while Kampala in Uganda had a daily waste generation of 1,500 tonnes with a collection efficiency of 40 per cent
Meanwhile, he said Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia generated about 5,100 tonnes of waste a day but the collection efficiency was 80 per cent which showed that every country had its unique social, economic, and cultural circumstances.
“Waste collection and management is not rocket science. ESPA has the local expertise, and the members must not be neglected,” he said.
Minister of Local Government and Rural Development
Launching the new logo, the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Akwasi Opong-Fosu, said the government was committed to the promotion of a clean and healthy environment in the country.
That commitment, he said, reflected in the continuity and practical measures for improved sanitation being implemented by the President in the assessment of performance contracts with the ministry.
He, therefore, called on the MMDAs to continue to lead the crusade against filth adding that the district assemblies by their powers could enact bye-laws to prohibit some of the practices that encouraged poor sanitation practices.
He also called on members of ESPA to remain resilient in their commitment to improve sanitation in the country.
Support for ESPA
In his address, the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, Dr Alfred Okoe Vanderpujie, pledged the commitment of the assembly to help ESPA attain its target.
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The Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Mrs Dzifa Abla Gomashie-Ahiaglo, also called for continuous public education, especially in the media, to help educate and change public attitude towards sanitation.