Bolgatanga, July 01, GNA - Mr. Mark Woyongo, Upper East Regional Minister, has called on District and Municipal Assemblies in the Region to get involved and offer support to organizations involved in environmental cleanliness, so as to complement the efforts of government towards the improvement of sanitation in the country. Mr. Woyongo made the call when he addressed 40 newly trained Sanitation Guards on Tuesday in Bolgatanga. The training was organized by Zoomlion.

He underscored the significance of good environmental cleanliness and urged the public to keep their surroundings clean to reduce malaria and diarrhoeal diseases during the rainy season. The Minister charged the guards to make good use of the skills they had acquired to ensure good environmental sanitation. He also asked the Assemblies to support the sanitation programme to grow in the region. Mr. Laud Mike Tagoe, Upper East Regional Operation Supervisor of Zoomlion, said the Organization and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development had entered into a management contract to manage the guards, with Zoomlion paying allowances of the guards and responsible for recruiting additional workers.

Mr. Samuel Akwei Allotey, Programme Officer of the Environmental Health and Sanitation Directorate of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, said efforts were being made to develop National Sanitation Strategy and Action Plans (NESSAP) and Environmental Sanitation Strategic Investment Plans (SIP) for the sustainable financing of sanitation programmes. He commended MMDAs for developing their District Environmental Sanitation Strategy and Action Plans (DESSAP) on time. Mr. Allotey assured the guards that his ministry was committed to ensuring that environmental health officers and sanitation guards effectively played their respective roles and responsibilities of educating and monitoring sanitation services and enforcing compliance with bye laws. Mr. Allotey entreated all district environmental health officers and district supervisors of Zoomlion to work as a team with common understanding. 01 July 09