Professor Chris Gordon, an Environmental Scientist and a former Director of the Institute of Environmental and Sanitation Studies, University of Ghana, Legon, has urged the MMDAs to have the strength of character and the political will to serve their people better.
He said: “If you’re officials put in place by the President, in their position, they speak for the President and there should be no higher authority above them to counter any instruction they give.”
Prof Gordon, who is currently the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) Country Engagement Lead, was responding to a question on alleged interference by some politicians in the work of the Assemblies in enforcing their bye-laws.
He was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency after a Flood Solution Dialogue for MMDAs and stakeholders in Accra.
Prof Gordon said the Assemblies were in a position of power and as a result, had a great responsibility.
CDKN Ghana and the University of Ghana organised the dialogue to initiate discussion amongst MMDAs and also coordinate the use of Nature-Based solutions in solving the flooding challenges faced by the Assemblies.
It is a follow-up and response to a request at the 2019 workshop to have a platform to discuss flood matters and to find a solution to challenges among the MMDAs.
Seven MMDAs, including Tema Municipal Assembly, AMA, Kpone Katamanso, Ga-East, Ga-Central, LaNMMA, Academia and Government Institutions and Committees on various climate finance platforms, participated in the forum.
Dr Ben Ofori, Research Fellow, IESS said research conducted on plastic waste in Adenta indicated that Adenta Municipal Assembly alone generates about 24 per cent of wastes.
He said about 70 per cent of plastic wastes were being mismanaged and as a result, they find their way into open water bodies.
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He hinted that plastic leakage into open water is expected to increase over the year and called for the stringent measure to solve the problem.
That, he said, could be achieved through the banning of plastic wastes, increase plastic collection rates and recycling capacity, build and expand the safe disposal of plastic wastes, among others.
Dr Ofori said the Vice Chancellor’s Green Committee Project set up in 2017 with students’ led initiative, which seeks to institutionalise waste management on campus gathered six per cent of its projected perception within seven months of its inception.
He said despite the successes, the project was faced with non-compliance with waste segregation rules.
He said the authorities were discussing the possibilities of including plastic waste segregation into a tenancy agreement on campus so that offenders’ tenancy would be terminated to serve as a deterrent to others.
“If this should be happening in our higher learning institutions, then we have a lot of problems on our hands,” he added.
Dr Felix Addo-Yobo, the Director of the National Development Planning Commission, said there were lots of work to do in changing hearts and minds to waste management and called stressed the need for evidence-based policies to address developmental challenges.
