The Paramount Chief of Asante Akyem Domeabra has endorsed the Green Africa Youth Organisation (GAYO) recycle and reuse initiative aimed at addressing the sanitation challenges confronting metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies in the Ashanti Region.
Dubbed the Zero Waste Project, the GAYO initiative focuses on waste prevention. It seeks to redesign resource life cycles so that all materials are reused, repaired, or recycled rather than sent to landfills or incinerators.
The endorsement follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Domeabra Traditional Authority, the Asante Akim North Municipal Assembly, and the environmentally focused non-governmental organisation (NGO) to implement the project and improve waste management in the area.
The Domeabramanhene, Nana Baffour Owusu Bediako I, expressed concern that poor sanitation practices are stalling progress in the traditional area.
He said the GAYO Zero Waste initiative is timely.
“This initiative will help us cut down the massive waste produced in this area, which threatens public health. It will also create jobs for residents, especially young people,” Nana Baffour Owusu Bediako I said.
He called for a collective change in attitudes toward waste disposal to complement government initiatives such as National Sanitation Day.
“I recall that we once cleared the refuse dump and told residents to use a designated site, but they didn’t comply. We seem too comfortable with filth. We must change that attitude because waste-related diseases rob you of your freedom to live normally and can kill you prematurely. We cannot continue to dump waste indiscriminately and expect clean communities. Every citizen must take responsibility,” he added.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Asante Akim North, Sarah Amoakoaa, said the Assembly appreciates GAYO and its partners and looks forward to the successful implementation of the project.
She assured the Assembly’s support for the initiative.
“The President has directed all MMDAs to hold monthly clean-up exercises, and we comply. Yet the impact is minimal because our dump site is full and we struggle to find alternative disposal points. The MoU with GAYO to implement its zero-waste project is therefore timely and will help us significantly,” she stated.
Samuel Gyimah Kwadwo Asante, Operations Manager of GAYO, commended the Assembly for the partnership and expressed readiness to begin implementation activities.
He said GAYO plans to engage all MMDAs nationwide on the zero-waste project, describing it as a key solution to Ghana’s sanitation challenges.
The Zero Waste for Sustainable Cityscape Project aims to reduce waste sent to landfills by promoting segregation at source, recycling, composting, and reuse. It also seeks to create green jobs through a circular economy model.
Asante Akim North Municipal Assembly joins other municipalities in the Ashanti Region, including Atwima Nwabiagya, in partnering with GAYO to tackle sanitation challenges.
Under the MoU, the Traditional Authority and the Municipal Assembly will lead community sensitisation and provide land for waste aggregation centres, while GAYO will handle technical training, collection logistics, and market linkages for waste entrepreneurs.
