The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of the Obuasi East Municipal Assembly (OEMA), Kofi Adzorwu, on Saturday led residents of Brahabebome and Bossman in a clean-up exercise as part of this month’s National Sanitation Day.
Mr. Adzorwu commended the community for their strong turnout, noting that participation had improved compared to last month’s exercise at Boete. However, he expressed disappointment over the absence of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), despite being invited to take part.
“I will personally visit their office on Monday to address this. On sanitation days, commercial vehicles are not supposed to operate so more people can join in. The MTTD is expected to enforce this,” the MCE stated.
He further urged all citizens to actively participate in the exercise, regardless of whether their area is selected as a host location, emphasizing that community-wide involvement is key to reducing waste. National Sanitation Day, observed on the first Saturday of every month, brings together Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) across the country to promote cleanliness, public health, and civic responsibility.
Florence Osei Mensah, Environmental Health Analyst at OEMA, praised the commitment of residents, saying most had risen early to participate, with much of the work nearly completed before 9 a.m. She cautioned that residents who fail to take part risk being prosecuted and fined up to GH¢3,000. She also encouraged communities to contact the Assembly for sanitation tools, assuring them of support through its partnership with Zoomlion to provide skip buckets and other equipment.
Mohammed Denjuma, Unit Committee Chairman of the Brahabebome Electoral Area, attributed the strong turnout to consistent announcements made through community information centres and megaphones. He reminded residents that the existence of a communal clean-up day should not encourage unnecessary waste generation.
Community member Amelia Nafisa, who sells indomie in the evenings, said she woke up at 4 a.m. to begin the exercise and even mobilised her neighbours to join.
“If we do this every Saturday, our community will always remain clean,” she added.