The Minister for Local Government, Ahmed Ibrahim, has urged sanitation workers and assemblies to sustain the national cleanup exercise beyond the initial 2-day directive by President John Mahama.

Speaking to field teams, the minister said the work must continue until Saturday and even further if needed.

“And that's why we are continuing. Please continue until Saturday and if there's any further directive we'll give it to you,” he encouraged.

He said Ghana, which will mark 70 years soon, deserves better sanitation standards.

“Ghana will be seventy years old soon, and must be cleaner than we have it now. We cannot be seventy years and be hearing of the kind of deaths we are hearing of. So keep it up,” he urged.

Ibrahim praised the workers for not abandoning the exercise after the official two days.

“You are doing a very good job by continuing the good job that is starting. Don't go to your offices and go and say that the work is going to be over and, therefore, we are going to rest. Once you are in a public office, it's not resting time. Continue your good work and the president is proud of you,” he said.

“Keep it up.”

The minister’s remarks come after the President John Mahama directed a nationwide 2-day cleanup on Friday and Saturday.

However, the Ministry of Local Government has extended operations to include waste evacuation, decongestion of refuse points, and other sanitation interventions across affected areas.

Earlier in the day, Ibrahim told the media the tour was to give “first-hand appreciation of the work that has been undertaken” and to provide context to ongoing operations.