President Mahama pledges to fight insanitary conditions

Accra, Feb. 7, GNA - President John Dramani Mahama has indicated his administration's determination to work assiduously against all insanitary conditions that could be inimical to development.

In tackling that, the President promised to first construct liquid and solid waste treatment plants in major cities to contain the threatening refuse that had engulfed the cities perennially.

President Mahama announced this when he presented sanitation equipment to various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies and other individual and private sanitation companies to fight the canker particularly in the major cities of the country.

The equipment was made up of 400 refuse trucks, 5,000 motorized tricycles that would step up door-to-door refuse collection.

They were procured by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development in collaboration with Zoomlion, a subsidiary of the Jospong Group of Companies.

Recipients would use the equipment and pay by installments and later own them after completion of payment.

President Mahama said the distribution of the equipment would fast-track the fight against insanitary conditions that led to the deaths of over 150 people during the June 3, floods and fire disasters last year.

He commended Zoomlion for their collaboration against poor sanitation in the country over the years and called on other stakeholders to play their roles responsibly to avert future disasters.

President Mahama who attributed the bad sanitation conditions in the cities to rural-urban drifts said steps would be taken to ensure that recycling plants were constructed to fight the canker.

Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong, Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies, said his outfit was not only expanding within the country, but was also working in other African countries.

He mentioned Angola, Benin and Kenya as some of the countries his companies were operating in making it an international company beyond the confines of Ghana.

He said the distribution of the equipment would further create about 2,500 jobs for Ghanaian youth all over the country.

Mr Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum, Deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development said government would prioritize the MMDAs in the fight against poor sanitary conditions.

He said although lack of capacity had over the years been the major challenge, his Ministry would work around the clock to place the necessary measures to achieve their target of eliminating filth in the country.

GNA