I will scrap useless Sanitation Ministry – Mahama

In a bold and decisive move, John Dramani Mahama, the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, has stated he would scrap the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources if he becomes president again in 2025.

During a Special Public Lecture held at the Wisconsin International University College in Accra on Wednesday 3rd April, 2024, Mr. Mahama unveiled his plans to dissolve the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, because according to him it lacks effectiveness has become and  increase on government expenditure.

“We will close down the Ministry of Sanitation; one, to reduce expenditure”. He said.

Mincing no words in his critique of the Ministry of Sanitation, he stated unequivocally, “I don’t see any use” for it.

“The country is dirtier than when there was no Ministry of Sanitation.”, Mr. Mahama told his audience.

He proposed a return to a decentralized approach by reverting sanitation responsibilities to the Local Government, a move he believes will not only enhance efficiency but also curb unnecessary spending.

“This country was cleaner when sanitation was under Local Government than as a standalone ministry and we will close that ministry and we will take the sanitation schedule back to Local Government because we want to reduce government expenditure.”

According to him, since the Ministry of Sanitation was created, the country has become dirtier compared to when local governments were in charge of sanitation. He thinks it was better back then.

Also, he wants to make some big changes in the government. He plans to put some ministries like Aviation and Railways together under the Transport Ministry. This will make things work better and save money.

He also wants to combine the Communications and Information ministries to avoid doing the same things twice. He believes this will make the government work smarter and save money too.

“We are going to close them down and send them back to the Transport Ministry”.

“We are going to combine Communications and Information again. So, we want to reduce the number of ministries,” he noted.

He says we need to spend our money carefully and invest in things that will really help the people. He wants to make the government smaller and more flexible so it can adapt to what people need.

These ideas might make some people argue, but he believes they are important for making Ghana better. As we get ready for the elections in December 2024, his plans for a more efficient and responsible government could be what many people are looking for.

Meanwhile the Ministry, on its official website pages says its mission is to “formulate and implement policies, plans and programmes for the sustainable management of the nation’s water resources, the provision of safe, adequate and affordable water; provision of environmental sanitation facilities, effective and sustainable management of liquid and solid waste for the well-being of all people living in the country.”

It says the goal of the Ministry is  “to contribute to improvement in the living standards of Ghanaians through increased access to and use of safe water, sanitation and hygiene practices and sustainable management of water resources.”