The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Atwima Mponua, Mr. Issahaq Ibrahim, has made a passionate appeal to residents of the district to fully embrace the reintroduced monthly national sanitation exercise, stressing that environmental cleanliness is not just a civic responsibility but a matter of life and death.
The DCE made the call last Friday after leading a clean-up exercise in Nyinahin, the district capital, where assembly members, youth groups, opinion leaders, and some traders took part. The exercise formed part of the nationwide sanitation initiative directed by the President of the Republic, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, to rekindle Ghana’s culture of communal environmental cleanliness.
Sanitation as a Health and Survival Imperative
Mr. Ibrahim underscored the direct link between poor sanitation and frequent outbreaks of deadly diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and malaria. He warned that failing to keep communities clean puts lives at risk and drains both households and the national economy.
“In our daily lives we generate a lot of waste, and we must ensure that we dispose of it properly. Filth kills, it brings sickness, and if we don’t clean our environment, it will end us in the grave,” he cautioned.
According to him, maintaining cleanliness goes beyond improving health; it ensures long-term productivity and attracts investment into the district.
Traders and Shop Owners Cautioned
Mr. Ibrahim expressed concern about the attitude of many shop owners and petty traders, particularly those operating along the main roads, who often refuse to participate in the clean-up exercises. He revealed that most of them prefer to remain indoors, leaving the workload on a few volunteers, while others operate without proper permits and resist enforcement.
“This indifference undermines our collective goal of building clean and healthy communities. Let me emphasize that going forward, those who fail to comply will face the full rigors of the law without fear or favor. The law will work, and when it does, no one will be spared regardless of political affiliation,” the DCE warned.
Collective Responsibility Needed
Mr. Ibrahim Ishaq reminded residents that government alone cannot achieve a clean environment, insisting that only collective effort will yield lasting results. He appealed to traditional rulers, community leaders, market women, youth associations, and religious institutions to rally behind the initiative and encourage active participation.
“Keeping our surroundings clean is not just for government or assemblies. It is for us, our children, and our future. A clean environment means a healthy people, and a healthy people means a prosperous district,” he noted.
Reviving a National Initiative
The reintroduction of the monthly national sanitation exercise, first launched under the late President John Evans Atta Mills but later abandoned, is expected to rekindle a nationwide culture of cleanliness. Authorities say the exercise will be sustained through continuous community education, sensitization, and strict enforcement of sanitation by-laws.
Though turnout in Nyinahin was below expectation, the DCE expressed optimism that consistent participation, backed by law enforcement and education, will transform Atwima Mponua into a cleaner and healthier district.
“Sanitation is life, and sanitation is death. The choice is ours to make. If we choose cleanliness, we choose health and prosperity; but if we choose filth, we choose disease and poverty. Let us all choose wisely,” he concluded.
