ESMA Joins Nationwide Two-Day Clean-Up Exercise to Promote Environmental Sanitation

In line with the Government’s renewed commitment to environmental sanitation and flood prevention under the Reset Ghana Agenda, the Ejura-Sekyedumase Municipality joined the nationwide mandatory two-day clean-up exercise initiated by His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama.

The exercise formed part of a coordinated national response to improve environmental cleanliness, reduce flooding, and foster a renewed culture of communal responsibility across the country.

Leading the municipal exercise was the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Hon. Rafiu Seidu Adams, who was joined by officials and staff of the Municipal Assembly, representatives of non-decentralized departments and agencies, traditional leaders, religious leaders, opinion leaders, youth leaders, and personnel from the security services.

The nationwide initiative, announced by the Office of the President, seeks to restore proper sanitation standards in communities, particularly in flood-prone areas, by promoting collective action towards environmental cleanliness. The exercise also supports Government’s broader agenda of building cleaner, healthier, safer, and more resilient communities through active citizen participation and strengthened environmental governance.

The two-day exercise commenced on Friday, 10th July 2026, and concluded on Saturday, 11th July 2026.

The first day focused on participation by government officials, civil and public servants, security service personnel, teachers, and students. Participants undertook extensive clean-up activities within their respective institutions by sweeping compounds, clearing overgrown vegetation, desilting gutters and drains, collecting refuse, and ensuring that office premises, educational institutions, and surrounding public spaces were clean and free from waste.

Following the clean-up exercise, the Municipal Chief Executive led a monitoring and inspection team comprising the Municipal Coordinating Director (MCD), Mr. John Ayine Adongo, the Municipal Director of Education, the Municipal Environmental Health Officer (MEHO), the Municipal Internal Auditor (MIA), the Municipal Budget Officer (MBO), and the Municipal Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO).

The team toured selected public institutions and communities, particularly schools, to assess the level of compliance with the Presidential directive, evaluate the effectiveness of the clean-up exercise, and encourage residents and institutions to sustain good sanitation practices beyond the designated exercise period.

The second day witnessed active participation from traditional authorities, opinion leaders, youth groups, political party faithful, market women, transport operators, community-based organisations, and residents across the municipality. Clean-up activities were undertaken within residential communities, markets, principal streets, business centres, lorry stations, and other public spaces.

During the exercise, bushes were cleared, gutters and drainage channels were desilted, refuse and other debris were collected, and waste was transported to designated disposal sites to improve sanitation and ensure the free flow of stormwater.

The Paramount Chief of Ejura, Nana Barimah Osei Hwedie II, demonstrated exemplary leadership by joining the exercise alongside his sub-chiefs and subjects. Together, they cleaned sections of the traditional area as well as parts of the municipality’s central business district.

Addressing participants after the exercise, Nana Barimah Osei Hwedie II commended residents for their impressive turnout and praised the collaborative efforts of the Assembly, security services, and community leaders. He further encouraged citizens to embrace environmental cleanliness as a shared civic responsibility rather than an occasional activity.

To ensure full compliance with the Presidential directive, the Municipal Assembly, with support from the security services, deployed a task force comprising military personnel and Assembly staff to monitor compliance throughout the municipality.

Businesses and individuals who failed to comply with the directive were sanctioned in accordance with applicable laws and enforcement procedures, with some offenders issued court summonses.

Speaking to participants, Hon. Rafiu Seidu Adams expressed his profound appreciation to all stakeholders for their commitment and active participation in the exercise. He particularly commended the Assembly’s Management for the timely release of resources that facilitated the successful implementation of the programme.

He further called on residents to maintain the momentum generated by the exercise by adopting responsible sanitation practices throughout the year.

He cautioned against indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drains and watercourses, stressing that such practices contribute significantly to flooding, environmental degradation, and public health challenges.

“We all know that two days are not enough to complete this work, but we are going to do our very best to ensure that at least one day every month, all of us come together to clean our surroundings. In fact, the President and the Regional Minister are very passionate about this exercise,”

the Municipal Chief Executive stated.

Hon. Rafiu Seidu Adams further assured residents that the Environmental Health Department would continue sanitation activities after the two-day exercise to consolidate the gains achieved. He emphasised that environmental cleanliness must become a continuous community responsibility and not be limited to designated national clean-up days.

The Environmental Health Unit played a critical role throughout the exercise by providing technical guidance on sanitation standards, supervising waste management activities, educating participants on proper environmental practices, and coordinating the safe disposal of collected waste.

The successful implementation of the exercise reflected the strong collaboration between the Municipal Assembly, traditional authorities, religious bodies, security services, educational institutions, government agencies, and community members in advancing the Government’s environmental sanitation agenda.

Beyond the immediate clean-up activities, the exercise reinforced the importance of sustained environmental stewardship, behavioural change, and collective responsibility in building healthier, cleaner, and more resilient communities.

The Ejura-Sekyedumase Municipal Assembly remains committed to supporting Government’s vision of making environmental sanitation a continuous national priority through regular community engagement, effective enforcement of sanitation regulations, public education, and sustained stakeholder collaboration.