Ghana Clean Environment Confab: ‘A clean nation isn’t a cosmetic mission’ – Julius Debrah

‎Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, has warned that Ghana’s sanitation problems cannot be solved through periodic clean-up exercises alone, calling for cleanliness to become a daily national habit.
‎
‎Speaking at the Ghana Sanitation and Clean Environment Conference, Debrah said government had reintroduced National Sanitation Day across the country as part of the broader Clean Up Ghana agenda.
‎
‎The exercise is observed on the first Saturday of every month across all 16 regions and 261 districts.
‎
‎However, Debrah cautioned that monthly clean-up exercises must not become a substitute for sustained behavioural change.
‎
‎“But one Saturday cannot carry the burden of an entire month. Cleanliness must become a daily habit, not a monthly ceremony,” he said.
‎
‎He also announced measures to increase accountability among Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, including the Cleanest City Award and sanitation indicators in the performance framework for MMDCEs.
‎
‎“What we measure, we can manage; and what we assign, we must hold people accountable for,” he stated.
‎
‎He described sanitation as more than a cosmetic exercise, saying it is a measure of responsible citizenship and effective leadership.
‎
‎“A clean country is therefore not a cosmetic mission. It is a test of citizenship. It is a test of leadership,”  he stated.
‎
‎The Clean Conference is a high-level national dialogue organized by Ignite Media Group.
‎
‎It brings together government officials, traditional leaders, and environmental experts to evaluate Ghana’s progress and roadmap toward achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, with a strong focus on sanitation, environmental health, and sustainable development.