Sanitation performance now a key performance indicator for MMDCEs — Vice-President

The government has announced plans to make sanitation a key performance indicator for metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) as part of efforts to improve environmental cleanliness and tackle Ghana’s persistent flooding challenges.

The directive will also see sanitation responsibilities restored to metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs), with the aim of strengthening local accountability and improving waste management across the country.

Under the new arrangement, MMDAs will be required to demonstrate measurable improvements in sanitation and waste management within their respective jurisdictions.

The government expects the move to enhance accountability at the local government level while improving environmental health and sanitation outcomes through greater operational responsibility for the assemblies.

Vice-President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang announced the directive on Wednesday while opening a national dialogue on decentralisation and responsive governance in Accra.

She said the measure formed part of broader efforts to transform sanitation from an occasional exercise into a continuous responsibility at the local level.

“As part of the Clean Up Ghana campaign, we are intensifying monthly cleanup exercises. However, this cannot remain a monthly event. Cleanliness must become a daily discipline,” she said.

“To reinforce this commitment, sanitation performance is now a key performance indicator for metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives,” the Vice-President added.

The government believes placing sanitation directly within the performance assessment of MMDCEs will encourage local authorities to prioritise waste management and cleanliness while contributing to efforts to reduce the impact of perennial flooding.