The Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Sanitation Committee, Ralph Poku-Adusei, has blamed the government for Ghana’s worsening sanitation challenges, arguing that authorities have failed to provide the resources needed to ensure effective waste management.

According to the Bekwai Member of Parliament, the government has not fulfilled its responsibility under the country's Environmental Sanitation Policy to guarantee proper sanitation and waste management.

Speaking on Citi FM on Tuesday, July 7, Mr. Poku-Adusei said observations made by the committee during inspections of sanitation facilities across the country painted a worrying picture.

“I must admit that over the past year and a half that we’ve been in Parliament, the report, our observations, our visit to several sites when it comes to sanitation and other related sanitation matters is not the best. It’s appalling,” he said.

Mr. Poku-Adusei stressed that sanitation remains the government's responsibility and should not be viewed as an obligation to be shared with private waste management companies.

“It is important to note that pursuant to what we refer to as the Ghana Environmental Sanitation Policy, ultimately it is the government that is responsible for sanitation in this country,” he stated.

He further argued that the government currently lacks the logistics, infrastructure and personnel needed to effectively manage waste nationwide, warning that unless these shortcomings are addressed, Ghana's sanitation challenges will continue to worsen.