Mahama Pushes for Monthly National Clean-Up Exercise to Tackle Ghana’s Sanitation Crisis
President says two-day campaign alone cannot solve growing waste and flooding challenges
By Ebenezer Adu-Gyamfi & Emmanuel Ayiku | GhanaianNewsCanada | Accra, Ghana | July 10, 2026
President John Dramani Mahama has proposed introducing a nationwide monthly clean-up exercise as part of a broader strategy to confront Ghana’s persistent sanitation challenges, saying the country must move beyond occasional campaigns if it hopes to reduce flooding and improve public health.
The proposal comes as government intensifies efforts to restore sanitation in communities severely affected by recent floods that left homes submerged, displaced families and exposed the consequences of poor waste management and clogged drainage systems.
Speaking after joining residents, security personnel and government officials in a large-scale clean-up exercise in Accra, President Mahama acknowledged that the current two-day national sanitation campaign, while necessary, is insufficient to address years of accumulated waste and neglected drainage infrastructure.
“Two days are not enough to finish this work,” the President observed, indicating that government is considering setting aside one day every month for citizens across the country to collectively clean their surroundings as part of a sustained national sanitation programme.
From Emergency Response to Lasting Action
The ongoing clean-up exercise forms part of the government’s post-flood recovery efforts across seven flood-affected regions.
Personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces, Police Service, National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), waste management companies and thousands of volunteers have joined residents to remove refuse, clear choked drains and restore affected communities.
During the exercise, President Mahama personally participated in desilting drains, pointing to large quantities of plastic waste and debris removed from waterways as evidence that irresponsible waste disposal remains one of the major causes of urban flooding.
He stressed that preventing future disasters requires a change in public attitudes toward sanitation, not simply government intervention after floods occur.
A Shared National Responsibility
The President emphasised that keeping communities clean should not be viewed solely as the responsibility of local assemblies or sanitation agencies.
Instead, he called on citizens, businesses, institutions and community organisations to embrace environmental cleanliness as a shared civic duty.
His proposal for a monthly national clean-up exercise seeks to encourage regular community participation while promoting behavioural change in waste disposal and environmental management.
The initiative has received support from several public institutions, including the Ghana Police Service, which deployed officers across the country and urged citizens to participate actively in the exercise.
Floods Renew Calls for Sanitation Reform
The renewed focus on sanitation follows devastating floods that affected several parts of Ghana after unusually heavy rainfall, exposing weaknesses in drainage infrastructure and urban planning.
Environmental experts have long warned that indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drains, illegal structures on waterways and poor sanitation practices significantly increase the country’s vulnerability to flooding during the rainy season.
Government believes a sustained clean-up programme, combined with stricter enforcement of sanitation regulations and improved drainage systems, could help reduce future disasters.
Beyond a One-Off Campaign
While many residents welcomed the nationwide clean-up exercise, President Mahama cautioned against treating the initiative as a temporary response to flooding.
He argued that lasting improvements will only come through continuous public participation, stronger enforcement of sanitation laws and consistent maintenance of drainage systems throughout the year.
Building a Cleaner Ghana
If approved, the proposed monthly clean-up exercise could become one of Ghana’s most significant nationwide civic initiatives, encouraging millions of citizens to take direct responsibility for protecting their communities.
For many observers, the proposal represents more than a sanitation campaign—it is an opportunity to cultivate a stronger culture of environmental responsibility, reduce the risk of flooding and improve public health across the country.
As Ghana continues to recover from recent flood disasters, the success of the initiative may ultimately depend not only on government leadership, but also on the willingness of citizens to make cleanliness a permanent national habit rather than an occasional response to crisis.
