The Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP), a non-governmental organisation has donated personal protective equipment (PPE) to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to support in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in the metropolis.

The materials include; 800 nose masks, 1,440 bottles of Lifebuoy hand sanitizers, 1,800 pieces of Lifebuoy soaps and 30 handwashing stations.

Mr Mohammed Adjei Sowah, the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive who received the items expressed gratitude to the WSUP for their support and that the donation would enable the Assembly to reach out to the vulnerable in the society.

"We would like to thank Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor for their kind gesture and also appeal to other state and non-state organizations to come to our aid. “We did not anticipate a second wave, but here we are. We want to appeal for more so that we will be able to reach out to the poor," he said.

Mr Sowah gave the assurance that the Assembly would step up the COVID-19 educational campaigns to ensure compliance with the protocols to prevent the spread of the virus, pointing out that the wearing of the nose mask was the first measure of controlling the disease.

He commended the police for stepping up the enforcement of the protocols by arresting the complying populate.

Mr Sowah said the Assembly had distributed water tanks to markets in the metropolis to encourage regular hand washing, while PPE were given out to schools, health institutions and the public as part of measures to control the spread of the virus in the city.

Mr John Alate, the Programmes Director of WSUP said his organization in collaboration with Unilever and the United Kingdom Government was implementing a one-year programme to improve hygiene-related practices on COVID-19 among the poor, while increasing the capacity of institutions and service providers.

He said the core of the programme has been an intensive hygiene promotional campaign in selected municipalities in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area and the provision of hygiene products and infrastructure to complement government’s effort to contain the spread of the COVID-19.