Gideon Boako Calls for Accountability and National Sanitation Reforms Amid Growing Waste Crisis
Gideon Boako has called for urgent reforms, accountability, and a clear national policy direction to address Ghana’s worsening sanitation and waste management challenges.
Speaking during a community clean-up exercise organised by the Youth Association of Tanoso in the Ahafo Region on Friday, May 8, the Tano North lawmaker described the country’s sanitation situation as deteriorating despite the heavy taxes and levies citizens continue to pay toward waste management.
According to Dr. Boako, Ghana’s current waste management infrastructure is failing, leaving communities overwhelmed by heaps of refuse while assemblies and relevant authorities struggle to respond effectively.
He blamed the worsening sanitation conditions partly on what he described as a leadership vacuum in the sector following the government’s decision not to renew the contract of Zoomlion Ghana Limited.
Although the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs decentralised sanitation responsibilities to various assemblies, Dr. Boako argued that the implementation process has been ineffective because no clear contractors have been assigned to maintain public spaces.
“As citizens continue paying sanitation levies and taxes, the country is increasingly becoming choked with filth,” he stated.
The MP said local sanitation efforts are now largely dependent on volunteer groups and community initiatives while markets, streets, lorry parks and public spaces continue to experience worsening waste accumulation.
He further urged the Tano North Municipal Assembly to urgently secure a new refuse dump site for the municipality, warning that the existing site has exceeded capacity and is spilling waste into nearby streams.
According to him, the overflowing waste poses serious environmental and public health risks to residents who depend on nearby water bodies.
Dr. Boako also questioned the effectiveness of Ghana’s sanitation financing system, noting that citizens contribute through the Sanitation and Pollution Levy, plastic excise duties, property rates, market tolls and business operating permits specifically meant to support waste management.
Despite these contributions, he said the visible sanitation outcomes do not reflect the amount of money collected.
He cited data showing that Ghana generates approximately 6.57 million tonnes of municipal solid waste annually without a comprehensive national strategy to manage it effectively.
The MP warned that poor sanitation continues to contribute to preventable diseases such as malaria, cholera, typhoid and pneumonia, while also worsening flooding through clogged drainage systems and contamination of rivers including the Tano River.
Dr. Boako is therefore calling on the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs to urgently develop and implement a clear national sanitation plan to ensure taxpayers receive value for money and communities benefit from cleaner, healthier environments.
