By Isaac Arkoh
Elmina (C/R), Jan. 22, GNA – Groupe Nduom, a multinational conglomerate, has part of the 30th anniversary celebration of Coconut Grove Hotel, held a clean-up and tree planting exercise as part of its green revolution at Elmina.
Groupe Nduom runs businesses in banking, insurance, real estate, hospitality, media, printing, education, sports, and agriculture. Coconut Grove Hotel is the first in the group.
They also held fora to take stock of events and re-strategised towards making the subsidiary the ultimate in its endeavours.
The exercise was meant to improve the sanitation condition of the town and to encourage behavioural change among residents towards maintaining a more hygienic and sanitised environment.
Groupe Nduom recognised trees as contributing to a healthy environment by providing oxygen, improving air quality, climate amelioration, conserving water, preserving soil, and supporting wildlife.
Before the exercise, the Group presented sanitation equipment to the community, including wheelbarrows, cutlasses and wellington boots.
Under the strict supervision of Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, the founder of Groupe Nduom, the staff of the company, together with the Chiefs and residents, tidied up the ancient community.
They cleared weeds on the side of the roads, drained choked gutters and levelled some mounting refuse dumps, particularly, at Mmofra Akyinmu, a suburb of Elmina.
The President of Groupe Nduom Ghana, Nana Kweku Nduom, said despite efforts by city authorities to control the indiscriminate disposal of waste, the municipality was still suffering the menace of waste.
The excuse in the past had been that the streets lacked dust and waste bins and as such, people were compelled to throw away their litter indiscriminately.
However, he emphasised the importance of keeping a clean environment for good health and urged the people to maintain proper sanitation habits.
He pleaded with the members of the community to embark on regular clean-up exercises to keep their environment clean and free from flooding.
The Assembly should provide containers at vantage points for residents to dump their refuse, he added.
Chief of Mmofraakye, Nana Kwame Eku IV, stated that the traditional council would collaborate with stakeholders to provide waste bins at vantage points “so that people can dump their waste wherever they find themselves.”
“Anybody found littering the compound with rubbish would be arrested and fined because we cannot always have to leave the cleaning of our environment to Zoomlion. It should be our collective responsibility,” he stated.
He called on residents to report to the Traditional Council if they found anybody indiscriminately cutting down trees or inappropriately dumping waste.
“Trees have many benefits, including providing shade, clean air and the environment, and we urge all residents to desist from cutting trees; but should rather plant them.
“Our community must remain a clean city, and I urge residents to help to maintain that status,” he said.
Nana Eku IV expressed appreciation to Groupe Nduom for the support and continuous collaboration to rid the country of filth.
Mr Emmanuel Kofi Gyeni, the Assemblyman of Bantama Electoral Area, expressed gratitude to Groupe Nduom, particularly Dr Nduom, for his support to the community.
He buttressed the essence of the National Sanitation Awareness Campaign with a call for the strict enforcement of sanitation by-laws and the naming and shaming of people who flout the laws.
While emphasising the importance of good sanitation, he said it had become a powerful driver of national economies and had, in no small way, impacted positively on health, education, the environment, local tourism, job creation, productivity and human development.
“Suffice it to say that if any country wants to develop, it must take sanitation seriously, as it has the potential to propel growth sustainably,” he added.
GNA