The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) has called for the establishment of sanitation courts and dedicated funding for all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to strengthen sanitation service delivery and enforce by-laws.
The appeal was made during an oversight visit by Parliament’s Select Committee on Sanitation and Water Resources to the Western Region.
Welcoming the committee, the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) for STMA, Frederick Faustinus Faidoo, acknowledged that sanitation management remains a major challenge despite ongoing efforts by the Assembly.
He explained that existing guidelines governing the District Assemblies Common Fund restrict assemblies to spending only 10 percent of their allocation on waste management and sanitation, limiting effective service delivery.
“Sanitation issues have not been very easy here, but we are doing our best within the available resources,” he stated.
Mr. Faidoo further revealed that he inherited a metropolis with inadequate waste management equipment following new contractual arrangements that reduced communal waste containers to just 15.
Despite these constraints, he noted that the Assembly continues to operate an engineered landfill site for waste disposal.
The MCE maintained that government’s policy allowing MMDAs to engage private service providers remains the most effective approach to easing operational burdens.
Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Sanitation and Water Resources and Member of Parliament for Nkwanta North, John Oti Bless, outlined the purpose of the visit, stating that it formed part of the Committee’s oversight mandate to assess sanitation service delivery nationwide.
He said the exercise aims to identify operational challenges, gather firsthand information from assemblies and strengthen collaboration with service providers to improve waste management outcomes.
Hon. Oti Bless added that the Committee would hold further engagements with assemblies after the regional tour to deliberate on findings and propose policy interventions.
The Director of Waste Management at STMA, Edwin Bonsu, also raised concerns over inadequate funding, revealing that the Assembly has scaled down its sanitation workforce due to financial constraints.
He disclosed that only 20 personnel have been engaged for daily sweeping operations across the metropolis.
Mr. Bonsu added that although the Assembly has procured 10 tricycles to support cleaning activities, the initiative may not be sustainable without a reliable funding source.
“We cannot fully take off if there is no dedicated funding source,” he stressed.
The Metropolitan Environmental Health Officer (MEHO), Daniel Lamptey, briefed the Committee on fumigation and disinfection activities, noting that the Assembly’s contract with Zoomlion Ghana Limited covers services in schools, markets and other public spaces.
He said the contract, initially valued at GH¢84,000 per quarter and later increased to GH¢104,000, was running smoothly until 2026, when a government directive instructed assemblies to temporarily suspend the fumigation arrangement.
Mr. Lamptey urged Parliament to facilitate the establishment of sanitation courts across all MMDAs to ensure strict enforcement of sanitation by-laws and promote compliance.
The engagement forms part of the Committee’s nationwide stakeholder consultations aimed at identifying practical solutions to Ghana’s sanitation challenges and improving service delivery across assemblies.
