The Bolgatanga East District Chief Executive, Mr. Jacob Aka-eri Abugre, has appealed to the residents of Bolgatanga East in the Upper East Region to embrace the government’s flagship program aimed at making the district the cleanest in Ghana. He believes that achieving this goal will attract the resources necessary for the district’s development.
Mr. Abugre noted that the government has reintroduced the National Sanitation Day (NSD) to address sanitation issues that incur significant costs and contribute to health-related problems. The relaunch of NSD is part of the government’s renewed “Clean Up Ghana Agenda.” According to the local government minister, the reintroduction of NSD aims to restore discipline and pride in public spaces, empower local government structures by making sanitation a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for all Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), and foster citizen participation and accountability.
In an exclusive interview with Word News after the first NSD exercise, Mr. Abugre urged the community to fully support the program, emphasizing that cleanliness is wealth. He highlighted that MMDCEs’ common fund will now be allocated based on sanitation as a fundamental indicator, rather than uniformly across the board. Sanitation is a crucial factor that will be used to assess and rate districts, impacting the distribution of resources.
“Your cleanliness level gives you a mark for them to rate you for the common fund. The common fund is not distributed equally,” stated Mr. Abugre. “For instance, Bolgatanga East and Bolgatanga Municipal Assemblies will not receive the same amount. Sanitation is part of the criteria, and if we clean our environment, we can achieve better ratings from the local government.”
Mr. Abugre expressed his appreciation for the impressive turnout during the first NSD event, which included traditional leaders, staff, and students from Zuarungu Nursing and Midwifery College, members of the New Patriotic Party, market vendors, the district police commander and his officers, and youth volunteers known as the Street Janitors. This dedicated group has been actively cleaning the streets of Bolgatanga East District and the Municipality every Saturday. He thanked the residents for their participation, noting that around 300 to 400 people gathered as early as 6 AM, showcasing strong community commitment.
Furthermore, Mr. Abugre urged all sectors of the community, including religious and traditional leaders, youth groups, market women, and school proprietors, to ensure that children are educated on the importance of maintaining a clean environment. He encouraged religious leaders to utilize their platforms to raise awareness about the National Sanitation Day, underscoring its significance for public health.
With collective effort and commitment, Mr. Jacob Aka-eri Abugre believes that Bolgatanga East can achieve its goal of becoming the cleanest district in Ghana, thereby unlocking vital resources for development and improving the quality of life for all residents.
Source:mywordfmonline.com/Gaspard Ayuureneeya Adongo.