The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Ga West, Hon. Nii Sowah, has appealed to chiefs, family heads and landowners to stop selling wetlands for structural development, warning that the practice is worsening flooding across communities.

Speaking during the nationwide clean-up exercise with Kessben Digital, Hon. Sowah said President John Dramani Mahama’s directive declaring Friday, July 10 and Saturday, July 11, 2026 as national clean-up days was a timely intervention following the recent floods that left large volumes of waste in several communities.

He noted that the exercise is aimed at restoring cleanliness, particularly in flood-hit areas, and disclosed that the President personally joined the clean-up campaign on the ground to demonstrate government’s commitment to improving sanitation.

The MCE stressed that sanitation should not be treated as a once-a-month activity, insisting that residents must make cleanliness a daily habit rather than waiting for National Sanitation Day before cleaning their surroundings.

Hon. Sowah also reaffirmed the assembly’s resolve to enforce laws against illegal structures built on waterways, saying authorities have been empowered to demolish such structures to ensure the free flow of stormwater during heavy rains.
He assured developers that the assembly remains ready to provide proper planning guidance to prevent construction that could contribute to flooding.

The Ga West MCE commended the Member of Parliament for Amasaman Constituency, Hon. Sedem Afenyo, for his continued support for the assembly’s activities and praised former Amasaman MP, Hon. Akwasi Afrifa, for joining the clean-up exercise in a show of unity.

He also lauded the strong participation of the Amasaman Divisional Police and other security agencies, describing their presence as crucial to the success of the exercise.

Addressing traders, especially market women, Hon. Sowah urged them to keep markets clean at all times to promote a healthy environment.
He concluded by citing the cooperation between MP Sedem Afenyo of the NDC and former NPP MP Akwasi Afrifa as an example of putting national interest above politics, urging Ghanaians to unite in keeping the country clean

The Parliament of Ghana will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the passing of the late Rt. Hon. Justice Daniel Francis Kweipe Annan, the first Speaker of the Fourth Republic, with a two-day programme scheduled for Wednesday, July 15, and Thursday, July 16, 2026.

According to a statement issued by the Public Affairs Subdivision of Parliament, the commemoration will be held under the auspices of the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, to honour the life, service and enduring contributions of Justice Annan to Ghana’s democratic governance.

Justice Daniel Francis Annan served as Speaker of the First and Second Parliaments of the Fourth Republic from 1993 to 2001. Parliament described him as a key figure in consolidating Ghana’s return to constitutional rule and in shaping and strengthening the ideals of the Fourth Republican Parliament.

The commemorative activities will begin on Wednesday, July 15, with formal statements from the leadership of both sides of the House, reflecting on the late Speaker’s life, distinguished public service and contributions to Ghana’s democracy.

On Thursday, July 16, Parliament will hold a wreath-laying ceremony in his honour. This will be followed by a memorial lecture at the D. F. Annan Auditorium, to be delivered by retired Supreme Court Justice William Atuguba.

Parliament has extended an invitation to members of the media, the general public and all stakeholders in Ghana’s democratic process to participate in the activities as the House pays tribute to the first Speaker of the Fourth Republican Parliament.

The statement was issued by the Public Affairs Subdivision of the Parliament of Ghana for immediate release on July 7, 2025.

President John Dramani Mahama has called on Ghanaians to adopt responsible waste disposal habits, warning that indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drains remains a major cause of flooding in the country.

Speaking during the National Cleanup Exercise at Alajo in the Greater Accra Region, the President said the ongoing desilting of the Alajo drain, which forms part of the Odaw stream, had revealed the extent of improper waste disposal.

According to him, workers had removed not only silt but also large quantities of plastics, household waste, engine blocks, old furniture and other bulky items from the drain.

“We must change our attitudes and stop the reckless dumping of things into the drains. The drains are not garbage bins,” President Mahama said, urging residents to use skip containers provided across the city for waste disposal instead of throwing refuse into waterways.

He acknowledged that the two-day national cleanup exercise would not be sufficient to restore all drains but announced plans to institutionalize a monthly community cleanup programme to ensure sustained sanitation efforts.

“At least one day every month, all of us should come out and clean our surroundings. That is what our traditional values were about. We were taught to keep a clean environment,” he stated.

The President attributed poor sanitation partly to changing lifestyles in urban areas, saying many people had abandoned the values of communal responsibility because of the anonymity associated with city life.

President Mahama also disclosed that the Minister for Finance had already released GH¢150 million to support flood mitigation activities, including the dredging of streams and drains.

He said the Ghana Armed Forces would continue the desilting exercise after the two-day cleanup campaign and announced plans to equip the military with additional heavy-duty machinery, including backhoes, to remove the accumulated silt and waste from drains.

According to him, the machinery would ensure that debris cleared from drains is loaded into tipper trucks and transported to designated disposal sites.

He cautioned that leaving the excavated silt and refuse beside drains would undermine the cleanup effort, as rainfall could wash the waste back into the waterways.

“Otherwise, if we don’t do that, what we have done will be in vain because when the rains come, it will just wash all those silt and garbage back into the drain,” the President said.

The National Cleanup Exercise forms part of the government’s broader flood mitigation strategy following recent floods in parts of Greater Accra and other regions, with authorities aiming to improve sanitation, prevent flooding and encourage greater public participation in keeping communities clean.