By Hafsa Obeng
Accra, Sept. 04, GNA – Graphic Communication’s Group Limited (GCGL) in collaboration with Zoomlion Ghana Limited (ZGL) on Monday inaugurated the Cleanest Region Ranking Technical Committee (CRRTC), in Accra.
The Cleanest Region Ranking Programme (CRRP) is the second phase of the national sanitation campaign that will recognise and reward the work of local governments, organisations, and communities in maintaining clean environments.
“The first phase of the campaign was introduced in 2021, focusing on dialogues and clean-up activities throughout Ghana’s 16 regions.”
Inaugurating the Committee, Madam Lydia Seyram Alhassan, Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, said the campaign aligns with the Ministry’s National Cleanliness Campaign and Cleanest City Efforts, aimed at including a great sense of responsibility and care for the environment.
She said there was no better mission than imbibing into the populace a good attitude, improved behaviour and cleanliness towards the environment, as the very sustainability of the environment and the larger ecosystem depended so much on that.
She said the benefit of engaging the regions in the competition was that the idea would trickle down to individuals, especially children, who had proven to be very good change agents who practice and propagate what they adopt.
Madan Alhassan said the sustainability of the initiative was of great concern to the Ministry and hence would make its technical team available to support the various Assemblies in developing and running a very robust sustainable mechanism.
She commended GCGL and ZGL for initiating the programme, saying she was hopeful that Ghana would make progress in the provision of improved behaviour change, which would be key to improving health and quality of life.
Mr Ato Afful, Managing Director, GCGL, said the CRRP, was launched in February this year to support the national agenda to get Ghana clean and ensure that in bringing consistent awareness and focus on sanitation, it would also create excitement, by rewarding the cleanest region in Ghana.
“The campaign will run based on the environmental cleanliness criteria, such as waste disposal, green initiatives, and toilet facilities, amongst others.”
Mr Afful said the campaign also aims to make a tangible difference in environmental health and collective well-being. “So, it’s not a touch and initiative, but one that will continue to thrive over the days and years to come.”
“We believe that clean streets, parks and public spaces promote a feeling of pride, and attract more visitors and businesses.”
He said the next phase of the campaign would be to conduct regional tours to engage regional ministers and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that the campaign did not only become a Ministry, Graphic, and Zoomlion initiative.
Mrs Gloria Anti, Managing Director, ZGL, said the initiative had been propelled by the shared commitment to nurturing a cleaner, greener and healthier environment.
She said cleanliness involved the commitment of all to sustaining natural beauty and public health, and embodied the promise of clear pavements, untainted rivers, flower-filled parks and towns wrapped in a cloak of health and harmony.
She said ranking the cleanest regions was not merely an accolade or competition, but a call to all to collectively make Ghana a clean nation and urged the committee to draft a roadmap that is founded on evidence-based practices.
Dr Akosua Agyeibea Ayeh of the Ghana Health Service, on behalf of the committee, expressed appreciation to the organisers for the opportunity and assured them that the entire process was very transparent and that it would yield the expected results.
She said sanitation was very important for the overall health of the populace, and the initiative was a step in the right direction.
Other Members of the committee include Mr Kweku Quansah, MSWR, Mr Carl Quist and Madam Priscilla Attipoe, Ministry of Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development, Llyod Tagoe, ZGL, Madam Ama Ofori Antwi, Environmental Services Providers Association, Micheal Dogbe and Rosemary Gbadzida, Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council, and Timothy Ngnenbe, GCGL.
GNA