Let Those Who Generate Waste Pay

Ghana can no longer treat sanitation as somebody else’s responsibility, the Ghanaian Times argues. The warning comes as the Kpone Landfill Site reaches full capacity and a strong stench hangs over the facility.

Against that backdrop, the newspaper supports the government’s decision to change how waste management is financed. Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs Minister Mahama Ayariga said public funds should no longer finance waste management. Instead, sanitation rates owed to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies should be collected and used properly.

The editorial says households, businesses and property owners have too often failed to pay fully for the waste they generate. That system, it argues, is neither fair nor sustainable. Waste must be transported, treated and safely disposed of, and those services require reliable funding.

It also supports Ayariga’s position that the District Assemblies Common Fund should not subsidize waste management in Accra. The fund is intended to support development throughout Ghana, and diverting it to the capital’s sanitation needs cannot provide a lasting answer.

But the newspaper says responsibility cannot rest with citizens and businesses alone. The government and local assemblies must account for every cedi collected and show that it produces efficient waste services. It calls for stronger enforcement against indiscriminate dumping, alongside public education and a planned sanitation campaign.

Factories, companies, households and other major waste producers must understand their duty to keep Ghana clean, the editorial says. It describes the waste crisis as a public-health and development challenge and urges the government to move quickly from announcements to action.