Ghana loses an estimated GH₵420 million annually to poor sanitation, according to the World Bank. Flooding in urban areas, largely linked to choked drains and poor waste disposal, continues to displace thousands and destroy property each rainy season.

To address the canker, US-Ghana-based advocacy group Re|Root Collaborative is urging citizens and government to shift from reactive disaster spending to proactive investment in sanitation infrastructure to tackle Ghana’s growing waste and flooding challenges.

The appeal was made during a community clean-up exercise jointly organised by Re|Root Collaborative and the Asokore Mampong Municipal Assembly for communities along the Pelele River at Aboabo.

In an interview with JoyNews, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Re|Root Collaborative, Anysa Santitini, said waste management remains a low priority in Ghana.

She cited the recent flooding in parts of Accra as a direct consequence of poor waste disposal and drainage systems.

According to her, the absence of basic waste management logistics is crippling sanitation efforts at the community level.

“In many communities, there is no regular garbage collection. There are no metal skip containers. There are no dustbins on the streets,” she observed. “Residents in places like Aboabo want to dispose of waste properly, but when there is nowhere to put it, they end up dumping it in drains and rivers.”

Ms. Santitini, therefore, expressed concern that the government often waits for disasters to occur before committing huge sums of money to fix the damage.

"I know that waste management is not given much focus. We saw what happened in Accra, where the floods caused a lot of damage and even claimed lives. After the disaster, the government released a lot of funding to address the problem, but I think we would be better off if we invested the money in prevention from the start. Hopefully, by doing that, we won't have to spend so much money when a disaster occurs, like the major flood in Accra".

Ms Santitini urged the central government, metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies, and private sector partners to prioritise three areas: infrastructure, logistics, and public education.

“We need more skip containers in communities, scheduled waste collection, and recycling incentives,” she said. “We also need continuous public education, so people understand how their disposal of waste affects their own safety during the rainy season.”

Despite collecting billions of cedis since 2021, Ghana’s Sanitation and Pollution Levy has failed to deliver the waste treatment and landfill infrastructure it was meant to fund, stakeholders have alleged.

The levy, a 10-pesewa charge per litre on petrol and diesel, was introduced to combat air pollution and finance waste management facilities across the country. However, concerns persist that funds mobilised under the SPL have been redirected or collateralised to settle debts in the broader energy sector.

The Program Support and M&E Consultant of Re|Root Collaborative, Spencer Tweneboah Korankye, called on the government to protect the levy and commit more resources to sanitation.

"We have taken notice that the levy on fuel meant for sanitation and waste management is being rechanneled to pay ESLA debt. I therefore plead with the government to sustain the Sanitation and Pollution Levy and increase budgetary allocation to the sector,” Mr Korankye said. “Without dedicated and ring-fenced financing, we cannot build the treatment plants and landfills needed to address the waste disposal crisis."

Mr Korankye also proposed an upward adjustment of waste disposal charges. Following consultations with waste management companies across Ghana, he noted that the companies are grappling with inadequate logistics to effectively manage waste at the various dumping sites.

He explained that the current charges do not cover the cost of trucks, skip containers, fuel, and personnel needed for regular collection and proper disposal. Without an adjustment, he said, service delivery will continue to suffer, and waste will keep ending up in drains and waterways.

Hundreds of volunteers, fire service personnel, assembly officials, and residents participated in the exercise.

They desilted choked drains, scooped plastic waste, and removed solid refuse dumped along the banks of the Pelele River, a major waterway that overflows during heavy rains.

The residents lauded the initiative, noting that Re|Root has adopted the Pelele River stretch as part of its sanitation drive, which includes public education on the effects of illegal dumping and poor sanitation practices.

Re|Root Collaborative, the nonprofit organisation, works at the intersection of textile upcycling, waste-dumpsite reclamation, and waste-trade advocacy.

Operating in Kumasi, Ghana, alongside a US-based support team, Re|Root partners with local communities, market groups, and district authorities to design sustainable, community-centred solutions to waste management challenges while creating new economic opportunities from reclaimed materials.