Member of Parliament for Banda Constituency, Ahmed Ibrahim, has called for proper supervision of Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to ensure effective waste management and the efficient utilization of contracts to address sanitation issues.
The Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs designate made this call during his ministerial vetting by Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Tuesday, January 21, 2024 at The Parliament House.
He explained that the issue of waste management poses a significant nuisance due to what he described as ‘ministerial disalignment,’ emphasizing that waste management is a critical role of MMDAs. “There were ministerial misalignments because all over the world, waste management is a municipal function and should be a core duty of the MMDAs”, the legislator emphasized.
Mr. Ibrahim highlighted that the Ministry of Sanitation, which validates waste management contracts, should also supervise the execution of these contracted waste management exercises.
He noted that the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs presence in every district is an advantage the Ministry of Sanitation can leverage to provide structured monitoring of contract utilization. “The presence of the Sanitation Ministry will be properly placed in the Ministry of Local Government because they have their presence in every district. And, once that is done, the problem may not be about the contract; it may be about supervision and monitoring,” he stated.
This partnership, he also said, should establish an active Sanitation Department in the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs to deal with the issue of sanitation. “So if the sanitation department in the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development is strengthened to ensure proper and effective monitoring, the problem can be solved,” he noted.
By: Kobina Baidoo
