President John Dramani Mahama has relaunched the National Sanitation Day campaign, urging Ghanaians to restore traditional values of cleanliness and shared responsibility.
Speaking at the launch in Accra, the President reminded citizens that sanitation is deeply rooted in cultural and religious teachings.
“Cleanliness is next to godliness,” he said, recalling childhood memories in Damongo where families woke up early to sweep their surroundings — a tradition he lamented has faded in many communities.
Mahama contrasted Ghana’s situation with countries like Japan and Singapore, where strict cultural discipline ensures clean streets.
“In Singapore, even chewing gum is banned. That’s how seriously they take cleanliness,” he noted.
To tackle the problem, he announced plans to reintroduce civic education in schools to instill discipline and responsible citizenship from an early age.
He also proposed giving traditional leaders more authority by setting up sanitation courts in chiefs’ palaces to enforce local laws.
Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) will be held accountable, with sanitation set as their key performance indicator.
Districts that excel will be rewarded through a new awards system, while persistent offenders face sanctions.
Mahama praised youth-led groups like the Buzzstop Boys for championing cleanliness and encouraged more volunteer efforts. He also linked sanitation to his 24-hour economy agenda, proposing that garbage collection and cesspit emptying be done at night to ease traffic congestion.
Closing his remarks, the President called for collective responsibility: “Government alone cannot keep Ghana clean. We must all be watchdogs of our environment so we can build cleaner communities, cleaner towns, and cleaner cities.”
