District assemblies in Accra are gearing up for a clean-up exercise ahead of the annual Homowo festival celebrated by the Ga people of Greater Accra.
On Friday, June 21, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and the Ga Traditional Council launched an almost two-month (July 2 until August 20, 2024) sanitation drive which authorities say would address pressing sanitation challenges in the Greater Accra Region and promote a cleaner environment.
“The GaMantse, His Royal Majesty, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, who officially launched the 2024 Homowo Clean-Up Exercise, called for collective action and responsibility in addressing environmental degradation across the Greater Accra Region,” a statement said, noting further that “all shops and businesses in the designated areas would be closed on the day of the event.”
Accra has had a sanitation problem for years now. There’s generally poor access to sanitation services according to the Resource Centre Network Ghana.
Join our WhatsApp Channel for more news
“Only 18% of the urban population and 7% of the rural population have access to decent sanitary facilities. 41% of the residents rely on shared facilities. 33% of the households in city have on-site treatment facilities like septic tanks for example,” it said.
But the sanitation exercise ahead of the festival is usually a normal feature, only this time it would span a long period. The festival is set for August, although a specific date hasn’t been announced yet.
