She said the fight against illegal mining was not a battlefield for blame games but for all stakeholders, including the government, opposition political parties, civil society organizations, traditional rulers, and religious groups among others to come together to address the national problem.

She said posterity would not be kind to the present generation if they failed to take a unified approach to save their water bodies and forest reserves.

Ms Alhassan indicated this during the opening of the MOLE XXXV WASH Conference in Ho, Volta Region, on the general theme, “Looking Back on SDG 6 Implementation in Ghana: Progress, Challenges, and Ways Forward

The minister stressed that “We must all be concerned about the devastating nature of illegal mining on our water bodies and forest reserves. Ghana is in a state of almost national disaster that needs to be a concern for every citizen, irrespective of one’s political dispensation.

The opportunity is now to talk about a common cause to come together to act for our own collective good, and we are into this together and not about politics; the fight against mining in our water bodies and forest reserves”.

Ms Alhassan explained that the MOLE conference series should not be taken for granted because it’s a forum that offered all stakeholders an opportunity to confront the challenges of implementation of their shared strategies.

She said they needed to appreciate the fact that, like any other sector in Ghana, the WASH sector has its fair share of challenges along the way, but the good news is that they have far more opportunities to be proud of and make the next six years ahead of them even better.

“I have a firm conviction that the MOLE 35 conference is going to set a unique tone to deepen the conversation around the strategies and l would be keenly waiting for the outcome from this four-day conference, to guide my ministry in an effective coordination of the implementation activities” stressed the Minister.

Ms Beata Awinpoka Akanyani, CONIWAS Chairperson, noted that over the last three decades, CONIWAS members have made tremendous contributions to WASH delivery, innovations, research, advocacy, monitoring, evaluation, and learning resulting in safe WASH delivery.

She said within the context of sector changes and localization agenda, we sought to understand the current state of our members,

Ms Akanyani said their recent institutional and organizational capacity assessment of members revealed that many of the members were re-designing their programmes to address emerging WASH climate change, while others were integrating preventive health measures into WASH programming.

She, however, stressed that weak funding remained a significant challenge for many of its members, hindering both programme delivery and institutional sustainability.

The chairperson reiterated that the localization agenda cannot succeed if the institutional capacities of national NGO’s remained weak, and therefore urged the government and development partners to revisit the funding models for CONIWAS members and increase financial support for both WASH service delivery and organizational growth.

Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister, indicated that with regards to WASH, they have done a lot of projects, and addressed water challenges in many districts, but they hope to do more.

He stated that many communities in the region reported increased access to safe water and sanitation facilities and this has significantly reduced waterborne diseases and enhanced public health.

Dr Letsa entreated stakeholders, government, civil society organizations, private actors and international partners present at the conference to engage in meaningful dialogue by sharing their success and learning from their challenges as they work towards a sustainable future.

Togbe Tepre Hodo IV, Paramount Chief of Anfoega Traditional Area, applauded CONIWAS and other stakeholders for organizing the conference and tasked the participants to come out with solid proposals that would help the country deal with the illegal mining menace that threatened humanity.

Master Abdul Yazid Faraj Timtoni Wumbei, the Child Sanitation Diplomat, used the opportunity to thank the originators and organizers of the School Sanitation Solutions Challenge supported by World Vision Ghana, Kings Hall Media, Zoomlion Foundation, GAMA Sanitation and Water Project, Ghana  Education Service and the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources for giving children the platform to express themselves, learn and share ideas.

The Conference organized by CONIWASH has four main thematic subjects which are, institutional alignments and policies, approaches, strategies, and methods towards attainment of Sustainable Development Goals 6 (SDG 6) in Ghana.

Among the institutions and organizations participating in the five-day MOLE 35 conference are the GAMA/GKMASanition and Water Project, IRC Ghana, World Vision Ghana, and the Media Coalition Against Open Defecation (M-CODe)

He insists the Sanitation Minister peddled falsehood.

The Sanitation and Water Resources Minister blamed victims of the floods induced by the spillage of the Akosombo Dam for not heeding early warnings by the Volta River Authority and other state agencies to evacuate.

Speaking at a forum organised by the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and its customers in Accra on Monday, October 23.

She blamed the extent of damage caused by the Akosombo Dam spillage on the refusal of residents living along the dam to evacuate.

According to the lawmaker, the Sanitation Minister must retract and apologise for her comment.

Speaking in an interview on Joy FM’s Top Story, Mr Ablakwa explained that no team was in his constituency for an evacuation exercise.

He said that by the time the evacuation team arrived, days had passed since the flood and the young people in the affected areas were rescuing people from danger.

“It is not true that there was an attempt to evacuate people and they refused to go,” he clarified.

He suggested that the government must carry out an honest introspection of the matter and stop blaming victims of the flood.

“The people are down, you have messed them up, you have left them devastated, why are you still kicking them with callous lies, gross insensitivity and inhumane statements? So the Sanitation Minister must sanitise her thoughts,” he said.

“She also adds that we asked them to move as if the people were squatters. Let me be clear to you. The people here, my constituents and all the affected areas have been living in this community for decades before the Akosombo and Kpong Dams were constructed. They are not squatters. The Minister talks as if these are some squatters who just arrived on the scene and are becoming a nuisance. I mean she ought to sanitise her thoughts,” he added.

On September 15, the Volta River Authority (VRA) began spilling excess water due to rising levels of the Akosombo and Kpong hydro dams.

Weeks after the spillage began, many residents living along the Lower Volta Basin lost their homes and farms to the floods caused by the spillage.

Currently, nine districts find themselves reeling under the fury of the racing spillage, their inhabitants caught up in this humanitarian crisis.

The heart-wrenching tales emerge from the South, Central, and North Tongu districts of the Volta Region, where the devastation knows no bounds.

The once vibrant communities of Battor, Tefle, Mepe, Sogakope, Adidome, and Anlo have been submerged, their existence nearly swallowed by the unrelenting waters.

Many residents have self-evacuated while NADMO and other agencies have joined the rescue efforts.

Some institutions and individuals have also presented relief items to residents.

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The Minister, while addressing the flood situation, blamed the flood victims for their predicament.

She asserted that, the victims refused to relocate despite numerous warnings from the Volta River Authority (VRA) and other state agencies.

Reacting to the statement, which has been widely condemned, the association accused Madam Prempeh of peddling misinformation and disinformation against the victims of the state-created disaster.

MDA argued the Mepe Traditional Council, the Mepe Development Association, opinion leaders, and all stakeholders were not engaged in any simulation exercise or post-simulation exercise as claimed by the Minister.

“How such an important exercise could escape the eyes and ears of these key stakeholders in the community leaves one to wonder whether the monies expended on the simulation should not be refunded to the state coffers,” the MDA stated.

According to them, the Minister’s suggestion that Mepe residents ought to have evacuated is misplaced, as prior to and following the flood incident, neither the VRA nor any other state agency had provided any temporary shelter facilities for displaced citizens.

“It was the leadership of the MDA, in consultation with the chiefs, that took the initiative to create seven makeshift safe havens for the affected flood victims in the following locations: Mepe R.C. Primary, R.C. JHS, Mepe Presby Primary, Presby JHS, D.A JHS, Holy Christ, and St. Kizito Secondary Technical School.

“Out of these seven safe havens, only St. Kizito, which currently houses 1,320 displaced persons, received six mobile toilets just this past Friday, provided by the VRA after persistent appeals,” MDA explained.

They have therefore called on the minister to show up and support the affected communities instead of leading a campaign of misinformation and disinformation concerning the flood disaster.

Also, MDA has called on the minister to unreservedly and immediately apologise to the chiefs and people of Mepe for her unfortunate comments.

It further urged all state appointees and communicators to refrain from making ill-informed and uneducated comments that blame the flood victims for the disaster.

Meanwhile, Madam Prempeh, reacting to the backlash her comment has attracted, has said she was misunderstood.

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Read the full statement:

“The Authority will ensure that these tricycle operators and even the major service providers do the right thing at the right time,” she observed.

She explained that, the absence of a regulator makes it difficult to sanction the service providers when they go contrary to the norm.

Dr. Prempeh made this known when she was responding to a question on law enforcement in addressing some of the sanitation challenges of the country at a press briefing in Accra to announce a nationwide clean-up exercise to be held on Saturday, September 30, 2023.

The nationwide clean-up event, under the theme “Cleaning for Safe, Healthy and Sustainable Ghana”, promises to be a defining moment in the nation’s ongoing commitment to improve environmental sanitation services and awareness creation.

According to the Minister, to enhance the attainment of the government’s vision of a clean Ghana and sustainable WASH service delivery, there is a need for all stakeholders to play their prescribed roles effectively.

She therefore called on stakeholders including the Government and non-state actors, the media as well as individuals to come together to plan and execute cleanup activities across the country.

As part of the cleanup exercise, the Ministry plans to engage traditional and social media sensitization campaigns, intensive premises inspection by staff of the District Assemblies, among others.

Dr. Freda Prempeh also bemoaned the activities of tricycle operators providing sanitation services, saying they are a major hindrance to clearing the city of filth.

She noted that many of these operators after collecting the rubbish from homes and shops do not send it to the designated dumping areas but rather dump the refuse at their nearest convenience.

“What I have come to realize is that the tricycle operators are making the work of cleaning our environment and garbage collection difficult for all of us. They collect refuse from our households and they look left from right and dump it in the gutters and other unauthorized and illegal areas,” she lamented.

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The Minister, Freda Prempeh, said this when she inspected areas along the Odaw River and Nima Maamobi following the recent rains.

Expressing her disappointment with the dire state of poor sanitation, Madam Prempeh emphasized that imposing surcharges on these waste collectors was a necessary measure to compel them to fulfil their obligations and ensure timely waste collection.

“We cannot always sit back for government to look for money to evacuate refuse, to drill drains, to dredge drains, to desilt gutters; we have to change our attitude. This refuse you see behind me is under the purview of the assembly. They have signed contracts with private service providers, and they are supposed to ensure that private service providers clear and collect the garbage.

“We should not sit down as an assembly and take excuses from the service providers that my car has broken down and all that. There should be a provision in the by-law to surcharge them. If they don’t pick up the refuse on time, they should be surcharged. So as an assembly, we will collaborate with you but all these refuse is under the purview of the assemblies, and they are supposed to ensure that it is cleared by the private service providers,” she said.

Madam Prempeh also expressed her willingness to engage in discussions regarding the establishment of specialised environmental courts aimed at enhancing the efficiency of prosecuting sanitation-related offenses.

This is in response to mounting calls stressing the significance of these specialized courts in expediting sanitation cases, which frequently encounter delays when brought before district courts.

“I don’t think it is just about delayance at the court… The advocacy is still on, but I believe that together as a ministry, the Regional Coordinating Council, and the assemblies, we should be able to put our heads together and ensure that the right thing is done.

“I believe that if we enforce our by-laws, we will not be taking people to the sanitation courts. So we have to start from the basis, from where the problem is coming from and that is the gap. And once we’ve been able to find the problem, we should be able to solve it,” she noted.

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Delay disclosed this on her Twitter page.

I want to be a househelp for a Ghanaian Minister, she tweeted.

I want to be a house help for a Ghanaian minister ????

— Lion Queen ???? (@delayghana) July 21, 2023

This was in reaction to reports about US$1m, €300,000, and millions of cedis being stolen from Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Dapaah’s house at Abelemkpe.

The report, which went viral on Friday, has sparked extensive debate on social media with people questioning Madam Dapaah’s source of wealth.

Others, including National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs, have called for her dismissal coupled with calls for a probe.

Two househelps working for the Minister and her husband, Daniel Osei Kuffour, are facing charges at an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly stealing monies and items worth millions of cedis from the couple’s residence at Abelemkpe in Accra.

The accused individuals, 18-year-old Patience Botwe and 30-year-old Sarah Agyei have been charged with conspiracy to commit a crime and five counts of stealing.

The alleged thefts occurred between July and October 2022.

During this period, the househelps allegedly stole personal effects belonging to Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah, including assorted clothes valued at GH¢95,000, handbags, perfumes, and jewellery worth US$95,000.

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According to the lawmaker, Cecilia Dapaah pursueing the theft case in court does not legitimise her ownership of the significant amount.

To ascertain the genuineness of the monies, the minister would have to disclose “the earnings on the inheritance and the appropriate tax paid on it,” he said.

“Given the resume of the Minister that you have read to us, there’s no reference to her in private practice to earn that kind of money,” Mr George said on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday.

Mr George speculates that “sheer arrogance of power” must have influenced the Minister’s decision to pursue the matter in court.”

The Sanitation Minister has been making headlines on various media platforms after it emerged she is in court with her two housemaids who she accuses of stealing various amounts of money.

Speaking on the same programme, the Acting Executive Director of the Ghana Integrity Initiative, Mary Awelana Addah, said President Nana Akufo-Addo must sack the embattled Minister to redeem his own image after being tagged as a ‘clearing agent’.

Madam Addah believes that the president should seize the opportunity to kill the ‘clearing agent’ perception the public seems to have of the presidency.

Meanwhile, the Sanitation Minister has commented on the reports of her stolen money from her Abelemkpe residence.

In a press release dated July 21, 2023, she pointed out that media reports about the stolen $1 million, €300,000, and an amount of Ghana cedis are inconsistent with the original complaint she filed.

“I refer to publications dated 21/07/2023 suggesting that I own one million dollars, three hundred thousand euros and millions of cedis which have been stolen from my house. There are noticeable inconsistencies between what is being discussed in the public domain and the thrust of the original complaint on the matter,” a portion of the release noted.

According to the Minister, she is “taking steps to examine the origins of the inconsistencies and will provide a detailed response in the coming days.”

She has since resigned.

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The Minister has said her action is to avoid the matter from becoming a preoccupation of government and a hindrance to the work of government at this crucial time.

She has pledged her full cooperation with state agencies to ensure the facts of the case are established.

The embattled Minister has been making headlines on various media platforms after it emerged she is in court with her two housemaids whom she accused of stealing various amounts of money.

Madam Dapaah in a letter dated July 22, 2023, thanked President Nana Akufo-Addo for the opportunity to serve, adding it was a great honour.

Prior to the resignation, she reacted to reports of the stolen funds and the ongoing trial and said such reports contained “noticeable inconsistencies.”

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• Sanitation Minister breaks silence on US$1m, €300,000, millions of cedis saga

Below is the full resignation letter:

Commenting on reports that a million dollars and 300,000 Euros have allegedly been stolen from the Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Dapaah’s residence in Accra, he explained that the law doesn’t specifically prohibit such a practice.

“Currently, under the Foreign Exchange Act 206 Act 713, there is no specific area that says that somebody cannot hold that quantum of money,” he said.

Nonetheless, from his viewpoint as a banker, he expressed concern about holding onto such an amount of cash outside of the banking system and its impact on the cedi and the economy.

Two house helps have been arrested for allegedly stealing $1 million, €300,000 and millions of cedis from the Sanitation Minister’s Ablekuma residence.

According to the banking consultant, holding such an amount outside of the banking system affects the whole monetary supply calculation.

“It makes it difficult for whatever the Bank of Ghana is calculating because part of the money is part of the calculation and you cannot capture when you are calculating the inflation and what have you.”

He also said it affects the value of the local currency adding that it has a serious implication on the economy.

“If such quantum of foreign currency is held out, then you can imagine if there are 10 of them, then it means that about $10 million is held in homes and the implication is how did this dollar get there? Either they came under purchase from the market or they got it from somewhere and they kept it and it all affects the depreciation of the currency,” he said.

An anti-corruption crusader, Vitus Azeem, wants the Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Dapaah fully investigated by the relevant state institutions.

In an interview on Joy FM’s Middaynews on Friday, Mr Azeem said three different investigations should be conducted on the Minister.

First, he wants the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), to find out how the stolen monies were made, whether they were obtained from business, gifts or disposal of assets to ensure that taxes were paid on them.

The anti-corruption crusader also said the Office of the Special Prosecutor should conduct a lifestyle audit.

Again, he requested that the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) investigates whether the Minister declared her assets when she became a Minister or not.

“We need to investigate the owners of those monies and properties,” he said.

Also, some National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs are asking President Akufo-Addo to immediately sack the Minister.

The Members of Parliament for Bole Bamboi and Kumbungu made the demand. 

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Two house-helps working for Madam Dapaah and her husband, Daniel Osei Kuffour, are facing charges at an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly stealing monies and items worth millions of cedis from the couple’s residence at Abelemkpe, Accra.

The accused individuals, 18-year-old Patience Botwe and 30-year-old Sarah Agyei are charged with conspiracy to commit a crime and five counts of stealing, which include US$1 million, €300,000, and millions of Ghana Cedis.

The alleged thefts occurred between July and October 2022.

The news, which went viral, has sparked public concerns amidst calls for her dismissal and a probe into the source of her wealth.

But Madam Dapaah in a statement has said there are “noticeable inconsistencies between what is being discussed in the public domain and the thrust of the original complaint on the matter.”

According to her, she’s taking steps to examine the origins of the inconsistencies and will provide a detailed response in the coming days.

ALSO READ:

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Read the Minister’s statement below:

Taking to Twitter, Mr Mahama said the development is scandalous.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer bemoaned why the public officeholder will keep such money in her house even if it was genuinely acquired.

As someone who sacked a Deputy Communications Minister, Victoria Hammah, over a leaked tape, in which a voice purported to be hers was heard saying she would stay in politics until she has made $1m, Mr Mahama questioned if President Nana Akufo-Addo can ever set a good example for public office holders in his administration.

$1m + €300k and millions of GHS in a Ghanaian Minister’s home?
Scandalous!!

Even if genuinely acquired, why keep millions of hard currency at home?
Will @NAkufoAddo ever set a good example for public office holders in his administration?

— John Dramani Mahama (@JDMahama) July 21, 2023

Two house-helps working for Madam Dapaah and her husband, Daniel Osei Kuffour, are facing charges in the Accra Circuit Court for allegedly stealing monies and items worth millions of cedis from the couple’s residence at Abelemkpe, Accra.

The accused individuals, 18-year-old Patience Botwe and 30-year-old Sarah Agyei, are charged with conspiracy to commit a crime and five counts of stealing, which includes US$1 million, €300,000, and millions of Ghana Cedis.

The alleged thefts occurred between July and October 2022.

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The said monies were allegedly stolen from the couple’s room in their house at Abelemkpe, a suburb of Accra, in the Greater Accra region.

An 18-year-old Patience Botwe and 30-year-old Sarah Agyei allegedly stole the monies and personal effects of the couple, between the months of July and October 2022.

The first accused, Patience, also has her current and former boyfriends, as well as her father, all being dragged before the same court.

Patience and Sarah, are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit a crime and five counts of stealing US$1 million, €300,000 and millions of Ghana cedis.

Within the same period, Patience and Sarah allegedly stole personal effects of Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah, which included assorted clothes, valued at GH¢95,000, handbags and perfumes.

The rest are jewellery valued at US$95,000 from Cecilia Abena Dapaah.

However, Patience alone, within the same period stole six pieces of Kente cloth worth GH¢90,000 and six sets of men’s suits valued at US$3,000 which are property of the minister’s husband.

Benjamin, 29 years old, a plumber, has been charged for dishonestly receiving GH¢180,000, Kweku Botwe, 65 years, a trader, also dishonestly receiving GH¢50,000 and Malik Dauda, 23 and unemployed, dishonesty received GH¢1 million.

As earlier stated, the monies mentioned are all property of Madam Dapaah and her husband, stolen from a bedroom that she shares with her husband.

All five accused persons were arraigned before an Accra Circuit Court, presided over by Susana Ekuful on Thursday, July 20, 2023.

Their pleas are yet to be taken, but Sarah has been admitted to bail in the sum of GH¢1 million, with two sureties. The sureties are to deposit their Ghana cards with the registrar of the court.

Her Honour, Susana Ekuful, further stated that the bail condition is subject to review by the substantive judge, as she was serving as a relief judge.

Patience, together with her alleged boyfriends and father, had been remanded into lawful custody.

Sarah was granted bail because she is a breastfeeding mother.

Brief facts

The court was told in the amended charge sheet and brief facts that Patience, also known as Maabena, was a househelp of the complainants, Daniel Osei Kuffour and his wife, Cecilia Abena Dapaah.

The court was further told that Sarah was also a former house help of the complainants.

Her Honour Susana Ekuful was told that the complainants reported the case to the police somewhere in June, this year, after detecting theft of cash and their personal effects.

Preceding the report, Patience was caught to have opened and entered the couple’s room with a duplicate key.

A1 was caught by Mr Kuffour, who returned from town only to find out that their bedroom was opened, as well as hearing an unusual noise coming from it.

The first complainant, Mr Kuffour, entered the room and found A1 hiding behind the door.

It was after this incident that the complainants detected that some of their property were missing.

A1 was arrested and released on police enquiry bail, but unfortunately, went into hiding with her boyfriend, Benjamin, in Tamale.

While in Tamale, the love birds allegedly rented a three-bedroom apartment at the cost of GH¢105,600 as well as a store at the cost of GH¢120,000.

The police arrested her upon intelligence and a spot search conducted in their apartment led to the retrieval of US$40,000 and GH¢72, 619.70.

Patience allegedly bought a three-bedroom house at a cost of US$70,000 at Amrahia and furnished it with the following brand new items – a double-decker refrigerator, water dispenser, a television set, washing machine and a chest cooler among others.

She also bought Hyundai Elantra at the cost of GH¢80,000 for Benjamin who also sold it to purchase a Honda Civic.

A1 also gave her father GH¢50,000 and GH¢1 million to Malik (ex-boyfriend.)

The court heard that A1 implicated Sarah during interrogation that she was her accomplice.

Thus, when they were working together in the complainants’ house, A1 used to keep watch at the main gate to enable Sarah to enter the couple’s room to steal, after which they shared the spoil.

Sarah was arrested at Budumburam and during the investigation, it came to light that she used her portion of the stolen money to build a three-bedroom house at where she was arrested.

The case is adjourned to August 2, 2023.

The Pra River serves as a source of drinking water for residents of Sekondi-Takoradi.

The minister, who was shocked upon seeing the current state of the Pra River, remarked “Everybody who drinks water from this source should help fight the menace.”

She has, therefore, described illegal miners or galamsey operators undertaking their illegal activities in the Pra River and other river bodies as enemies to the country.

According to the minister, she is convinced that because of the activities of the illegal miners, the Pra River has been left without the presence of any aquatic life.

Madam Dapaah expressed her frustrations when she visited some water treatment plants in the Western Region as part of her two days working visit.

She indicated that the activities of illegal miners have increased the cost of treating water for domestic and industrial use.

“When this happens, it is the customers who have to pay more money as water bills,” she disclosed.

She, therefore, appealed to the leaders and residents of the communities along the rivers, particularly the Pra River, to complement government’s effort in fighting the menace.

She told the residents that the government is in total support of legal mining because it is an avenue for employment opportunities for the youth.

“Government is not against all legal mining which has been going on in the country for over 200 years,” she stated.

She noted, “Alluvial mining and community mining that are done underground are harmless to water bodies and this is what we should encourage.”

The Municipal Chief Executive of Prestea Huni Valley, Isaac Dasmani, also appealed to members of the various communities to collaborate with the municipal task force and mining committee members in their work to help protect the water bodies.

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The Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Mrs Cecilia Abena Dapaah, made the call when she received a delegation from Wongpanit Pathong Company Limited, a leading Thailand and global waste management company, at her ministry on Friday, February 24, 2023.

The meeting with the minister and the Wongpanit delegation, led by their President, Dr Somthai Wongcharden, was facilitated by the JGC.

According to Mrs Dapaah, recycling of used cars will be a new area for Ghana’s waste management sector, adding that it holds prospects for potential investors.

“It will be very interesting for the Jospong Group of Companies and other interested private companies to explore the possibility of investing in the recycling of used cars,” she urged.

She was very delighted that the Thailand waste management giant was into recycling of used cars and other car products including used batteries.

“We have a lot of damaged cars sitting in the police stations; a lot of used car tyres gathering mosquitoes, especially during the rainy season, and this is a very interesting area,” she said.

She was also happy that the Jospong Group of Companies was forging a new relationship with a global waste management company in Thailand.

“I must say that you are with the right person and the right company (making reference to Dr Siaw Agyepong and his Jospong Group of Companies),” she told the delegation.

She praised the Jospong Group of Companies for its growth in the recycling space of waste management.

“But I am sure you [Wongpanit Pathong] are older and bigger as a company so the mutual working together will be highly profitable,” she optimistically stated.

Mrs Dapaah, therefore, appealed to both foreign and local investors to come and invest in Ghana’s waste management space, underscoring that Ghana produces about 7 million tons of waste a year of which about 64% is organic.

She intimated that the collaboration between the government and the private sector was yielding “huge results.”

“…and I must say that we are on the right path,” she admitted.

One of such major collaborations, she said, was the construction of recycle plants in all 16 regions of the country.

“And as I speak, we have 2 of 3 liquid waste management companies that are also ready. One has been commissioned and we have 2 more coming up,” Mrs Dapaah said.

These waste management facilities, she said, were made possible through the government’s collaboration with the JGC.

Mrs Dapaah re-affirmed the government’s policy of collaborating with the private sector to spur the country’s growth, insisting that “without the private sector we will not succeed.”

Earlier, briefing the minister on Wongpanit’s operations, the President of the Thai waste management company, Dr Somthai Wongcharden, said his company focuses mainly on recyclable materials but added that “right now we are also developing through non-recyclable waste from the municipal solid waste, so we also work on landfills.”

“We collect waste from various households and then transfer them to our recycle facilities,” he said.

He pointed out that a key success factor of the company was first to think of the needs of the market, then “we tailor our products and services to meet the demands of the market.”

Dr Wongcharden, who spoke through an interpreter, noted further that they were into urban mining of waste, indicating that the company mines waste from the cities.

“We work as a private company but we have also connections with the government of Thailand,” he admitted.

Madam Dapaah was answering questions on the floor of Parliament when members put questions on water extension and sanitation improvement in their constituencies.

She reiterated government’s determination to end open defecation in the country.

The Member of Parliament for Akyem Oda Constituency, Alexander Akwasi Acquah, had asked questions on what the ministry was doing to make places of convenience available to children in basic schools across the country.

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In an interview with Adom News, Mr Acquah revealed that children in basic schools in his constituency are asked to bring chamber pots to school for lack of toilet facilities in those schools.

She said in the beginning, the landfill was a nightmare to everybody who lived in the community.

“Today, I am very happy that the larger part of the landfill has been encapsulated and made beautiful for human occupancy.

“This adds to government’s effort to ensure climate change in Ghana,” she stated.

The 20-year-old Oti landfill in the Ashanti Region, which covers over 65 acres of prime land, has the potential to host wedding receptions, parties, picnics etc when completed.

Mrs. Dapaah said the ponds within the landfill would be used for aquaculture to help create jobs for youth in the region.

A representative of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Ing. Kwodwo Osei said the motive behind the reclamation exercise is to save the environment.

He said the heap of waste was so huge that the company had to remove over 60,000 cubic meters of waste to be able to begin the spreading and capping exercise.

He assured government that the project will be completed and handed over by December 2022.

The Consultant for Zoomlion Ing. Felix Atsu, said the heap of waste was about 30 feet high and in order to drill and sink pipes to capture the gas in the capped landfill, they technically had to cut some of the waste away and spread some to an appreciable level of about 20 meters to facilitate the process.

He said after their technical evaluation, the gas was not sufficient for commercialisation, so they intend to break it into smaller bids and flare it to avoid future explosion as well as save human lives.

Ing Atsu, was optimistic that the project will finish on time despite the heavy rains that make it difficult for their equipment to move on the site.

Mrs. Cecilia Dapaah led a pre-tree planting of about 30 trees at the site and gave the assurance that over 5,000 trees of different species will be planted at the place after the decommissioning exercise to further boost government’s agenda for climate change.

The Sanitation and Water Resources Minister, Cecilia Dapaah, is blaming the ongoing water rationing in parts of the country on activities of illegal mining and sand winning.

According to the minister, persons involved in these activities have, in some instances, filled water channels with sand.

The Minister also accused ‘galamseyers’ of dumping solid and liquid waste into the rivers, a situation she says has contributed to the high cost of water production.

Mrs Dapaah was answering questions in Parliament from Sene West MP, Twumasi Kwame Ampofo, about the utility service.

She lamented that the poor quality of water “is as a result of ‘galamsey’ and these have unfortunately led to water rationing in many regional capitals, especially in the dry seasons.”

In Weija, “there is sand winning going on in the catchment and this has contributed to increased turbidity with its attendant production cost.”

Speaking on the floor, she told the House that series of interventions have been put in place to address water rationing.

These measures include the replacement of weak pipelines, she insisted on Thursday, Wednesday, March 3.

However, the Minister did not rule out operational challenges such as intermittent power supply, obsolete mechanical equipment and their contribution to the country.

The Sanitation and Water Resources Minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, revealed this on Wednesday, when she took her turn at a press briefing.

Out of the total amount, Madam Dapaah said the government has so far paid GHS 500 million to the Ghana Water Company Limited.

She also noted her ministry is currently in talks with the Finance Ministry to settle the outstanding debt in time.

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Speaking on other projects being undertaken by the ministry, Madam Dapaah said Ghana has made strides towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals on Water and Sanitation by 2030.

Meanwhile, she admonished Ghanaians to maintain a healthy environmental sanitation and preserve water bodies.

According to her, the construction will deepen the depth of the water level in the river.

“We will be dredging the Barekese and Owabi Rivers. We have the plan and we will start dredging soon as you know Owabi was constructed with a depth of 22.5 feet and now is six feet so dredging is seriously needed. We will award the contract for work to begin soon.”

She disclosed this when she and some Chief Directors from the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources and some officials of the Ghana Water Company visited the region as part of her four-day working visit to water bodies and water treatment plants in the Eastern and Ashanti Regions.

The visit is aimed among other things at assessing the state of water bodies and water treatment plants in the two regions.

At Barekese Water Treatment Plant, a documentary of the current state of the river and how some farmers have encroached the river banks was shown to the minister and her team.

She expressed excitement upon seeing the state of the dam, adding that a study must be done to increase the buffer along the river.

“Our problem at Barekese is the farmers who farm beyond the buffer but they have agreed to move back, when we get the studies ready then the buffer will increase to preserve the water body and this must happen within two to three months. And we will get constructors to start work on the project,” she said.

Also, in the early hours, the minister visited the Oda River where she hinted that over 150, 000 people living at Obuasi are not getting water due to the activities of illegal miners.

“The people of Obuasi and its surrounding depend on only one million gallons due to the galamsey activities while four million gallons are the required quantity to be produced per day, this is very worrying. The illegal mining activities taking place on the River Oda are the cause of the problem.

“Residents becoming the mouthpiece of the river will ensure galamsey activities are ended. We saw the 500-meter distance between the treatment plant. The Engineers see them all the time and I even heard they were here two days ago. When they complain the galamsay operators threaten them with guns and machetes so they also run for their lives.

“The river goes and joins the River Offin, River Pra so we are talking about a network, there is no aquatic life in there. Why should people living at the river banks import water? And this will come back to the girl child who will be carrying a tank to look for water. God has given us this whole beautiful river and look at what we have made of it,” she said.

She said Polima is also being used now which makes it more expensive to treat the water.

“They are doing their best but our support and prayers are needed and our commitment as a nation to help the president stop galamsey activities,” the Minister appealed.

Making the disclosure in an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem show on Thursday, Mrs Dapaah explained that, the decision is to compensate persons who for the sake of President Nana Akufo-Addo’s free water directive, will be unable to sell water to earn a living over the next three months.

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Government will pay commissions to persons registered by GWCL to sell water at the end of the month for the next three months, because such persons that’s their source of livelihood, that’s where they get their daily bread, she said.

Also, government will bear the costs of all maintenance works done on their water tanks within the three months period, she added.

Payment of commissions to water sellers also include persons who have water dugouts in their homes and are using them for commercial purposes.  

The Sanitation Minister, however, cautioned persons who still take monies from the public to desist from flouting the president’s directive, saying they will be severely dealt with when caught.  

The Minister presented Dr Osmanu Shaributu with a plaque and a citation as a mark of honour and distinction when she paid courtesy call on the  National Chief Imam. 

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The sector Minister expressed her gratitude to the National Chief Imam for accepting  to be  the Chief Patron for the Sanitation and Water sub-sectors.

She said the nation appreciates his role and it was only proper  to bestow such honour on him and thanked the  Chief Imam for  the warm and cordial reception accorded  her and her Staff  as they prayed for  God’s blessings  and guidance  upon his life. 

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Receiving  the plaque,  the National Chief Imam,  was grateful  for the kind gesture and prayed  for God’s  protection,  guidance  and blessings  on the life of the Minister and her entire  Staff. 

He also commended the harmony  and peaceful  co-existence  among  the various  Religious Faiths in Ghana amidst Peace of the World. 

The Sector  Minister  was accompanied  by Mr  Noah Tumfo, Mr  Obeng  Poku and  other  Senior  Staff  of the Ministry.