The Director of Metro Public Health at the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Ing. Florence Kuukyi, has stated that sanitation has become a key benchmark in assessing the performance of Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) across the country.

Speaking on Joy News’ AM Show on Tuesday, March 24, she indicated that the government has placed significant emphasis on sanitation as a critical governance indicator.

“The President is using sanitation as a measuring tool to measure all MMDCEs within the country. And because of that, a lot of support has been given at that part. But what I can say is now left with is that they should turn the direction,” she said.

Ing. Kuukyi stressed that effective waste management goes beyond the mere collection and disposal of refuse, noting that it comprises both technical and behavioural components.

“It’s not just about collecting the waste, because waste management has two components. It has the hard component, which is collecting the filth and managing it in the proper dimension. And then the soft component is the education and the law enforcement,” she explained.

She, however, highlighted persistent challenges in enforcing sanitation laws, attributing them largely to inadequate funding and limited institutional support for environmental health officers.

“So the law enforcement bit, there's still a little bit of a challenge because a lot of assemblies are not seeing the need to support financially on the law enforcement bit. Because environmental officers use their own little money to do law enforcement,” she noted.

Detailing the operational difficulties faced by officers, she explained that when a person fails to appear in court, a bench warrant is issued, requiring officers to carry out the arrest. She noted that the process often faces logistical challenges, including a lack of support and funding, and that officers are responsible for tasks such as printing court documents themselves.

Ing. Kuukyi further lamented the lack of financial backing for prosecutorial processes, including the preparation of dockets for court.

She warned that weak enforcement of sanitation laws continues to fuel indiscriminate waste disposal, undermining efforts to maintain clean environments.

Ing. Kuukyi also emphasised the socio-economic implications of poor sanitation, linking it to public health risks, economic strain, and reduced investor confidence.

“Poor sanitation exacerbates disease outbreaks, and when diseases set in, it drains our wallet,” she cautioned.

“It is not just draining our wallet; it strains the healthcare system in the country. It also deters investors because nobody wants to build their business in a dirty environment. And if it happens, it means job opportunities are lost. So sanitation is not just a one-way strain; it is like a web, it drains everywhere,” she added.