President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed his commitment to environmental protection and sustainable development through a series of bold initiatives.
Speaking at the relaunch of National Sanitation Day, on Saturday September 6th 2025, Mahama mentioned two flagship programmes, Blue Water River Guards and Tree for Life Restoration, aimed at empowering youth and restoring Ghana’s natural ecosystems.
“As government, we are committed to protecting the environment, through initiatives like Blue Water River Guards and the Tree for Life Restoration,” he said.
The Blue Water programme, according to President Mahama will train 2,000 young people in river conservation, with an initial deployment of 400 youth to rehabilitate polluted water bodies and combat illegal mining.
Additionally, he emphasized that, the Tree for Life initiative will tackle deforestation by engaging youth in large-scale reforestation, planting cocoa, palm, timber, and rubber trees to promote ecological recovery and create sustainable jobs.
“This initiative promotes afforestation and environmental sustainability… creating sustainable employment and supporting ecological balance,” Mahama added.
To boost accountability, the president announced a new performance framework for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), incorporating strict sanitation indicators.
“This framework will ensure that Chief Executives prioritise and invest in environmental sanitation services within their areas of jurisdiction,” he said.
The campaign marks the return of National Sanitation Day, now set to be observed on the first Saturday of every month, as part of a broader push to restore civic responsibility and environmental pride.