By Clement | Parliamentary Desk, Accra
ACCRA, Ghana – The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, has stated that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) are currently not adequately equipped to take full responsibility for managing sanitation across the country.
Appearing before Parliament’s Government Assurances Committee on Thursday, the Minister said evidence gathered from his visits to several assemblies indicates that entrusting sanitation management solely to the assemblies at this stage could worsen the country’s sanitation challenges.
Mr. Ibrahim explained that when the current administration assumed office, a number of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) requested that the government transfer the management of sanitation services from the private companies that previously handled them to the assemblies.
However, he said subsequent assessments conducted during visits to various assemblies, including those in Takoradi and other parts of the country, revealed significant operational and logistical gaps.
According to the Minister, the assemblies currently lack the institutional capacity, equipment, and resources required to effectively manage sanitation services nationwide.
“My visits to some of the assemblies have shown clearly that if we leave sanitation management entirely in their hands now, the country could face a very dangerous sanitation situation because they do not yet have what it takes to manage it effectively,” Mr. Ibrahim told the Committee.
He stressed that while decentralising sanitation management remains an important policy objective, the government must first strengthen the operational and financial capacity of the assemblies before such responsibility can be fully transferred.
The Minister made the remarks while responding to questions from members of Parliament’s Government Assurances Committee regarding commitments made by the government on improving sanitation management across the country.
Source: parliamentnews360.com
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Source: parliamentnews360.com
