Zoomlion, North East Region Intensify Public Health Protection with Major Fumigation Campaign

A major region-wide fumigation and disinfection exercise has commenced in the North East Region as Zoomlion Ghana Limited, in partnership with Municipal and District Assemblies, steps up efforts to improve environmental sanitation and protect public health.

The exercise targets hospitals, schools, markets, public toilets and other high-traffic facilities across the region as part of broader efforts to strengthen environmental hygiene, control disease vectors and reduce the risk of preventable disease outbreaks.

The intervention is being implemented in major communities including Walewale, Nalerigu, Gambaga, Bunkprugu, Chereponi, Yagaba-Kubori and Yunyoo-Nansua.

Facilities and public spaces covered under the exercise include hospitals, CHPS compounds, market centres, public toilets, schools, government bungalows and lorry parks.

The exercise is aimed at controlling disease vectors and improving environmental hygiene in areas where poor sanitation and high human traffic could create conditions conducive to the spread of diseases such as cholera, malaria and typhoid.

Speaking on the exercise, the Regional Manager of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Abdulai Safian, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to supporting government institutions and local authorities in addressing Ghana’s environmental sanitation challenges.

He said Zoomlion’s involvement demonstrates the company’s broader commitment to deploying its operational expertise, human resources and technical capacity to support the development of healthier and more resilient communities.

“At Zoomlion, we believe that environmental sanitation is fundamental to public health and national development. We are therefore committed to working closely with government, local authorities and communities to ensure that our public spaces are safe, clean and healthy,” Mr. Safian said.

He, however, stressed that fumigation and disinfection alone would not be sufficient to achieve sustainable improvements in environmental sanitation.

According to him, the impact of such interventions would be significantly enhanced if communities adopted responsible sanitation and hygiene practices.

“The sustainability of these interventions requires collective action. Government and service providers can provide the necessary infrastructure and technical support, but every citizen has a role to play in keeping our communities clean and preventing practices that create conditions for disease outbreaks,” he added.

Representing the West Mamprusi Municipal Chief Executive, the Municipal Environmental Health Officer, Faustinus Anchamba, described the exercise as an important component of the municipality’s broader environmental health strategy.

He emphasised that sanitation should not be regarded solely as the responsibility of government and urged residents to complement the efforts of authorities by maintaining clean surroundings and observing proper hygiene practices.

“Sanitation is not merely a government obligation; it is a collective responsibility,” Mr. Anchamba said.

He called on residents to take ownership of their communities and help sustain the benefits of the fumigation and disinfection exercise.

He urged the public to dispose of waste properly and maintain hygienic surroundings to prevent the recurrence of environmental conditions that could undermine the gains made through the intervention.

The Regional Environmental Health Director, Osuman Alebira, said sanitation interventions carried out under the National Sanitation Day programme had contributed to improvements in environmental health conditions across the region.

He, however, cautioned that sustaining those gains would require continuous investment, adequate resources and stronger collaboration among relevant stakeholders.

According to Mr. Alebira, periodic fumigation and sanitation exercises remain important for addressing immediate environmental health concerns, but the long-term objective should be the establishment of a sustainable sanitation system capable of keeping communities clean and healthy throughout the year.

“We have seen improvements from these interventions, but sustainability remains critical. We need to move beyond periodic exercises and strengthen the systems, resources and community behaviours that will enable us to maintain these gains over time,” Mr. Alebira said.

Residents in the beneficiary communities have welcomed the fumigation and disinfection exercise, expressing optimism that the intervention will contribute to safer and healthier public spaces.

The exercise is particularly significant in densely populated communities and locations with high human traffic, including markets, schools, lorry parks and public toilet facilities, where poor environmental conditions can heighten public health risks.

Community members have consequently been encouraged to maintain the cleanliness of treated areas and support ongoing sanitation efforts by practising responsible waste disposal and good personal and environmental hygiene.

Shared commitment to cleaner communities

The North East Region exercise highlights the importance of public-private collaboration in addressing Ghana’s environmental sanitation challenges.

For Zoomlion Ghana Limited, the intervention forms part of its longstanding commitment to supporting national and local initiatives aimed at improving sanitation, protecting public health and creating cleaner and healthier communities.

The company maintains that sustainable environmental sanitation requires a coordinated approach involving government institutions, local authorities, private-sector service providers and, most importantly, community members.

Stakeholders believe that continued collaboration, adequate resources and responsible community participation will be essential to sustaining the gains from the exercise and reducing the environmental conditions that facilitate the spread of preventable diseases.