Floods expose urgent need for stronger environmental reforms — Shamima Muslim

Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Shamima Muslim

The government has said the recent devastating floods across parts of Ghana have highlighted the urgent need for tougher environmental reforms, stressing that the country can no longer delay decisive action on waste management, environmental protection and enforcement.

Speaking on News Digest on Citi FM on Saturday, July 11, 2026, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Shamima Muslim said the widespread flooding had exposed the deteriorating state of the environment and underscored the need for sustained policy implementation alongside a change in public attitudes towards sanitation.

She said the events of the past few days had clearly demonstrated the scale of the environmental challenge confronting the country.

“I think these past few days, if we were under any illusion at all that all is well, these past two days have shown us vividly through your cameras, through your reports, across many communities, across different regions. I think the picture is very worrying indeed,” she said.

“All is certainly not well with our environment and our general attitude towards waste, and of course also policy response to dealing with the matter.”

Shamima Muslim made the remarks following the government's nationwide clean-up exercise, which she said received strong support from citizens, institutions, private organisations and the media. However, she stressed that the exercise marked only the beginning of a long-term effort to improve environmental resilience.

“We know that it is not an end at all. I think the most difficult part of cleaning up this country… will depend on what happens in the next days, the next weeks and months,” she stated.

According to her, while the country cannot prevent natural disasters such as heavy rainfall, it has the ability to minimise their impact through effective environmental policies, strict enforcement and responsible public behaviour.

“As for natural disasters, we don’t have control over. What we have control over is policy, implementation, execution, and our individual habits,” she said.

She urged Ghanaians to adopt more environmentally responsible lifestyles by reducing the use of single-use plastics, embracing reusable alternatives and disposing of waste properly. She also called on the media to sustain public education on environmental sanitation.

The Deputy Presidential Spokesperson further appealed for public cooperation as the government prepares to implement more difficult aspects of its environmental resilience agenda, including the demolition of structures on waterways and the restoration of wetlands.

“It will be painful. It will be difficult. Houses would have to come down. Some businesses on waterways would have to go. But if there’s any time to do it, it is now. Now that we have seen how devastating a single day’s rainfall can be to the lives of many people,” she said.

She added that the recent floods should serve as a wake-up call for both government and citizens to work together to reverse environmental degradation and strengthen the country's preparedness against future disasters.