Coalition for NGOs in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS) says evidence on the ground does not support Sanitation Minister’s claim that government’s promise to make Accra the cleanest city in Africa by 2020 is 85% complete.

According to the Coalition, government does not have blueprints, road maps or strategic plans developed to make the vision possible.

“In a city where you have 22% of the population defecating openly, 25% of people using a public toilet, only about 75% of your waste is properly collected thanks to service providers, I am not too sure that any reasonable assessment can conclude and give you 85%,” Programmes Coordinator Atta Arhin for CONIWAS said on Newsnight on Joy FM.

He added that no systematic assessment has also been done to confirm the 85% the Minister is claiming.

In an interview with Joy News’ Piesie Nana Yaw Safo during a cleanup exercise in parts on Nima Tuesday, Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah stated that government has done its best to make Accra clean.

“So I am telling you and I know you will quote it that, we are 85% through [with making Accra the cleanest city]. You all saw the 100% we achieved during the lockdown. So the question is, who makes Accra dirty?”

Mr Arhin admitted the numerous cleanup exercises help during the lockdown indeed help clean the city up but added that it is obvious the plan was not sustainable.

“If you were at 100% and just after the lockdown you come to 85% that should tell you that you don’t have a sustainable plan.”

He added that CONIWAS expected the Ministry to launch a plan allocate fund and projects to groups and teams to begin making Accra the cleanest city when Akufo-Addo announced his plans in April 2017.