As part of an initiative to enhance public health and environmental sustainability, the Oti Region has inaugurated a Regional Sanitation Taskforce in collaboration with environmental health officers.

The event, themed ‘Strengthening Sanitation Law Enforcement for a Cleaner and Healthier Oti Region,’ was led by Oti Regional Minister John Kwadwo Gyapong and marked a proactive approach to addressing pressing sanitation challenges in the region.

This initiative aligns with President John Mahama’s agenda of resetting the country, which emphasises renewed focus on development, inclusivity, and sustainability.

In his address, the minister underscored the importance of sanitation in promoting public health and community well-being. He urged stakeholders, including metropolitan, municipal, and district chief executives as well as coordinating directors, to support and collaborate with the taskforce.

The key objectives of the taskforce are to:

- Strengthen sanitation law enforcement and compliance

- Improve waste management and disposal practices

- Enhance public education and awareness of sanitation and hygiene

- Promote community-led initiatives and participation

“Sanitation should be a communal priority,” the minister said, encouraging residents to take ownership of their surroundings by actively participating in cleanliness initiatives

Comprising environmental health officers and community leaders, the taskforce will tackle issues such as waste management, open defecation, and water quality. It will also launch educational campaigns to raise awareness about hygiene and encourage active citizen participation.

“An educated community is a clean community,” the minister reiterated, stressing the need for outreach programmes to inform citizens about the benefits of proper sanitation.

Regional Environmental Health Officer Cynthia Sekyere also urged residents to support the initiative to make Oti one of Ghana’s cleanest regions. She warned that poor sanitation led to challenges such as choked drains, indiscriminate dumping of refuse, open defecation, and public health crises.

Confident about the initiative’s impact, she expressed optimism that the taskforce would help address these issues significantly.

The inauguration of the sanitation taskforce underscores the region’s commitment to enforcing sanitation laws, protecting public health, and promoting a culture of cleanliness and accountability.

Prosper Kwaku Addo, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Krachi West and Dean of MMDCEs in Oti, pledged to implement sanitation schedules. He stated that the assemblies will be involved in this initiative, utilising assembly common funds to support sanitation projects. Mr Addo also advised officers to work in accordance with sanitation laws, following the guidance of President Mahama.