Increase sensitization and enforcement of bye-laws on waste management (GHKS0003)
Overview
At-a-Glance
Action Plan: Action plan – Ketu South, Ghana, 2025 – 2028
Inception Report: Not available
Commitment Start: Nov 2025
Commitment End: Dec 2028
Institutions involved:
- Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit
- Central Administration Department
- Budget Unit
- Friends of the Nations
- National Commission for Civic Education
- Information Services Department
Primary Policy Area:
Primary Sector:
OGP Value:
- Civic Participation
Description
Commitment ID
GHKS0003
Commitment Title
Increase sensitization and enforcement of bye-laws on waste management
Problem
The Ketu South Municipal Assembly like other municipalities in Ghana continues to face sanitation management challenges, especially regarding solid waste. Although there is no readily available data on waste generation in the municipality, the urban areas remain on top of the list due to the influx of thousands of migrants and brisk commercial activities. The environmental sanitation issues are of great concern since it is linked to the general health condition of the people and cut across all sectors of our economy including health, environmental protection, improvement in human settlements and services, tourism, and general economic productivity. Indiscriminate disposal and burning of solid waste are a common practice and method used to dispose of solid waste by households and individuals in the municipality. These solid wastes end up in wetlands, lagoons, and the ocean which threatens biodiversity conservation increases climate change and degrades environmental conservation. Liquid waste is mostly disposed-off through open gutters being a common practice in urban areas. Also, open defecation is a common practice in coastal communities despite efforts made to provide communities with improved latrine facilities.
Status quo
Presently, Zoomlion Ghana Limited is the sole private waste management company contracted by the government to collect and dispose of waste, lift and empty public refuse containers, disinfect activities, and sweep and clean major streets in the municipality. The Environmental Health Unit of the Assembly supervises the activities of the company to ensure efficiency and effective sanitation management and service delivery. In spite of the efforts to improve safely managed sanitation services, there is a low level of commitment on the part of policy implementers and the constituents to improve Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene services. Solid waste especially plastics has engulfed the streets and wetlands in the municipality due to the slow pace of behavioral change, inadequate sanitation improvements packages like dustbins and waste containers in communities, and non-enforcement of sanitation bye-laws of the Assembly.
Action
The Assembly proposes the following actions:
- Increase education and sensitization on indiscriminate disposal of waste and promote behavioral change towards sanitation.
- Empower Zonal Councils to sensitize and engage communities on good sanitation practices
- Gazette, publicize and operationalize Assembly bye-laws.
- Empower environmental health officers to enforce waste management laws
- Organize community clean-up exercises regularly and strengthen the national sanitation day.
How will the commitment contribute to solving the public problem described above?
The solutions and actions outlined are aimed at achieving:
- Improved behavioral change towards sanitation among citizens.
- Improved sanitary conditions in communities.
- Implementation of Assembly bye laws
- Empowered citizens in waste management
- Environmental health officers empowered to engage and sensitize communities on waste management and sanitation laws.
What long-term goal as identified in your Open Government Strategy does this commitment relate to?
Increasing sensitization and enforcement of byelaws on waste management will ensure improved environmental sanitation condition in the municipality. Sanitation delivery can better be managed when active participation, transparency, accountability, and inclusion are employed in processes in tackling waste management. Engaging and educating the public will change citizen’s attitude towards indiscriminate littering and waste disposal. Also with a Gazetted bye law, environmental health officers will be empowered to operationalize sanitation bye laws and ensure compliance. Active participation and transparency will enhance and ensure effective resource allocation on public delivery services in the areas of waste management, water systems and education.
Primary Policy Area
Other/NA
Primary Sector
Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene
What OGP value is this commitment relevant to?
| Civic Participation | Increasing service delivery to citizens has the potential of increasing citizen participation in governance. When citizens see that the services they require are been met by goverement, they are eagor to contribute more interms of finance and human capital to the development effort. |