Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive Roland Ayoo has expressed concern over low public participation in the National Sanitation Day exercise, particularly the decision by some traders to keep their shops open despite directives to close and take part in the cleanup.
Speaking on A1 Radio during the sanitation exercise, Mr. Ayoo said the Assembly’s goal is not merely the closure of shops but the active involvement of residents in cleaning their surroundings.
“I am not interested in just closing shops,” he said. “I want the human beings behind the shops to actively participate in the exercise.”
Despite prior announcements, several shops in the central business district were observed operating as the cleanup was underway. Mr. Ayoo said this undermines the spirit of collective responsibility the sanitation campaign seeks to promote.
He said while enforcement would be applied where necessary, the Assembly’s preferred approach remains education and persuasion.
“The last resort would be enforcement,” he said. “But we need to do more awareness creation so people understand that sanitation is a shared responsibility.”
Mr. Ayoo said the Assembly will increasingly engage security services on sanitation days to ensure compliance, but stressed that long-term success depends on voluntary participation.
“When people accept it wholeheartedly, it becomes collective responsibility, not forced compliance,” he added.
Source: A1 Radio | 101.1Mhz | Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith | Bolgatanga
