President John Mahama has announced that the Cabinet will soon meet to finalise plans to decentralise the sanitation budget, making each district responsible for managing and maintaining its own sanitation systems.

Speaking during his Thank You Tour in Dodowa in the Greater Accra Region, the President said the new policy is aimed at improving sanitation across the country through local accountability.

“Cabinet will soon meet on the decentralisation of the sanitation budget and make every district responsible for its own sanitation,” President Mahama stated.

He explained that the policy will empower Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to take full charge of sanitation in their areas, with proper funding and clear responsibilities.

In addition, he revealed that performance in sanitation will soon determine whether District Chief Executives remain in office.

“This is the key one, cleanliness will become one of the key performance indicators for measuring the performance of MMDCEs and will determine whether they remain in office or are removed,” he said.

Currently, sanitation services in many MMDAs are managed by private companies contracted and paid by the central government.

Critics argue this system has led to inefficiencies, with contractors often failing to deliver despite receiving billions in public funds

The President said the government’s approach is to push more resources to the local level, where they can be used effectively to address day-to-day challenges.

“The Finance Minister directed in this year’s budget that 80% of the revenues accruing to the District Assemblies Common Fund should be paid directly to the MMDAs. This means that more resources are going to be available for all assemblies to implement their development projects and carry out effective sanitation programmes to keep our districts clean,” he noted.

Touching on the broader environmental agenda, President Mahama said the Greater Accra flood control master plan will be integrated into the national climate resilient strategy, ensuring a cleaner and safer city.

“We know that Accra deserves a clean and resilient environment, and that is why we are integrating the Greater Accra flood control master plan into our national climate resilient strategy,” he said.

The announcement follows a petition by investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, which exposed alleged corruption and poor service delivery under the current private-sector-led sanitation contracts.

The petition, which garnered widespread public support, called for the revocation of these agreements with Zoomlion Waste Management Company and a return to publicly managed sanitation systems.