President John Dramani Mahama has issued a firm directive to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), placing environmental sanitation and infrastructural upkeep at the heart of his administration’s local governance agenda.

Speaking at the official opening of an MMDCEs Orientation and Training Programme in Accra, President Mahama announced that his government will introduce an annual district performance index focused on cleanliness, hygiene, drainage systems, and basic infrastructure.

The rankings, he said, will be made public, with top-performing districts recognised — and the worst-performing ones publicly named and shamed.

“Your district cleanliness, drainage, hygiene and infrastructure will be measured, and published each year,” President Mahama declared. “The cleanest district will be named, and the dirtiest district will be shamed.”

The President urged all local authorities to adopt a proactive and transformative approach to environmental governance.

He challenged MMDCEs to make sanitation and sustainable development a hallmark of their administration, leaving behind what he described as a "clean, green and healthy economy" as their legacy.

“Let your legacy be a clean, green and healthy economy,” he urged.

He emphasised that the public naming of districts — whether for commendation or criticism — is not intended to humiliate but to encourage a spirit of healthy competition and performance-driven leadership.