Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, has urged residents, businesses and industries to contribute financially towards addressing Ghana’s waste management challenges.
Speaking during a visit to the Kpone dumping site on Tuesday September 1, he said Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies must strengthen the collection of property rates, market rates and other statutory fees to generate the resources needed to improve sanitation.
“It will cost money to fix this problem, and so the Local Government Ministry is going to insist on everybody paying what they are supposed to pay.”
He said effective collection of basic and property rates, as well as other fees, would provide assemblies with sufficient resources to address sanitation challenges.
“If you have a factory here and the factory is generating waste, you, the factory owner, the profit that you are making, it will be unfair for you not to be held accountable for the waste that is generated.”
He also cautioned against relying on the Common Fund to finance waste management in urban areas, arguing that residents and businesses must pay for the services they require in the communities where they operate.
