Mahama, Asantehene, Veep join nationwide clean-up
President John Mahama, Vice-President Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur and the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, joined hundreds of Ghanaians countrywide in a nationwide clean-up exercise.
President Mahama, who was on a visit to the Volta Region to celebrate the Hogbetsotso festival, joined Sogakofe residents to clear filth in some parts of the community.
Vice-President Amissah-Arthur took part in clean-ups in Accra at the Kanda Cluster of Schools and the Kanda 441 Basic School clearing and Nima market.
In Kumasi, the Asantehene donned gloves to help restore Kumasi, the Garden City, to its former glory by clearing filth from choked gutters and streets.
The Asantehene said: “It is our collective responsibility to do the right in respect of sanitation issues”, adding that, non-adherence to sanitation bye-laws was responsible for the degradation of the environment and beauty of the metropolis.
“Kumasi used to be called the Garden City of West Africa because the residents and all people concerned were responsive to environmental sanitation issues. But now, things have changed. Our streets and drainage system are constantly being littered and turned into dumping sites, while other negative practices also cause nuisance to bio-diversity”, he added.
The clean-up, part of the government declared National Sanitation Day attracted people from all walks of life, including traders, residents, civic and church groups.
National Sanitation Day has been set for every first Saturday of every month to create awareness on environmental sanitation.
It is aimed at improving the sanitation conditions which are related to diseases such as cholera, which has claimed more than 180 lives since its outbreak some six months ago.
