Making Apam the Cleanest City in Ghana

The Goma West District Assembly in the Central Region of Ghana in collaboration SHAPE Attitude Ghana and the Chiefs of Apam launched a campaign at Apam on 3 March 2019 under the theme “Making Apam the cleanest city in Ghana: a collective responsibility of the citizenry.”

Speaking at a durbar to launch the campaign, the District Chief Executive Officer of the Goma West District Assembly, Hon. Bismark Baisie Nkum, spoke of the need for all the citizens of Apam to get actively involved in the exercise. He told the gathering that he had acquired the necessary tools such as tricycles with buckets mounted on them, trash bins and shovels to facilitate waste collection and disposal. He applauded the Chiefs of Apam for releasing land for dumping of waste.

Much as the whole town was targeted, “Apaa Paado” was singled out as the centre of sanitation challenges in Apam, especially open defaecation, and needed serious action to address it. To this end, the District Assembly had embarked on construction of public toilets and at the same time encouraged households to have their own. Hon Nkum said the assembly was ready to provide technical advice to households who have challenges in constructing toilets in their homes.

The District Chief Executive Officer, Hon Nkum, said bye-laws on sanitation would be enforced and cautioned those who used their positions to interfere in the law enforcement.

In his address at the durbar, the Director of SHAPE Attitude Ghana, Wonderful Baisie Ghartey, added his voice to the call of inculcating good and positive attitude and practices in children towards environmental cleanliness so that they grow with it. SHAPE Attitude would engage the schools, in collaboration with the District Education Service, to carry out sensitisation and awareness campaign in schools, the Director said.

The occasion was used to swear in Sanitation Committees that had been formed in the communities by the Assembly and charged with planning and implementation of activities for the clean-up. Hon. Alexander Kojo Abban, Deputy Minister of Health, did the swearing in.

Other speakers at the durbar were Hon. Hackman, former Member of Parliament, the Regional Environmental Officer, the Queen Mother of Apam and Miss Galaxy 2018.

The durbar was attended by all key stake holders in Apam, notably, the chiefs and elders, the clergy from almost all the churches, the Asafo Companies 1 and 2, the Chief Fisherman, the Head of Market Women, Members of the Assembly, including the Environmental Health Officers, Apam Electoral Assemblymen and women the District Police Commander, the Information Services Department and a team from SHAPE Attitude Ghana.