Editorial
Urgent call to address sanitation, environmental neglect at Legon City Campus, Makola-Tudu Junction
Dear Editor
Ghana is grappling with mounting sanitation and environmental neglect and as a concerned citizen and advocate for a cleaner, safer and more presentable academic environment, I feel compelled to highlight disturbing issues I encountered during a recent visit to the enclave of Workers College, currently operating as Legon City Campus of the University of Ghana as well as Accra Central, specifically the stretch from Makola towards Tudu, just after the Ghana National Fire Service office.
At the Legon City Campus, formerly known as Workers College, widespread overgrowth of weeds along campus walls and walkways poses both safety and structural risks.
The unchecked vegetation is encroaching on pedestrian pathways and threatening the stability of surrounding walls.
Behind the campus, near the road to Adabraka and Liberia Road, garbage and overgrown weeds have turned the area into an eyesore, undermining the prestige of one of Ghana’s premier universities.
The environmental degradation reflects poorly on the institution’s leadership and jeopardizes student and community health.
I would like to urge the University of Ghana Estate Department to act immediately, clearing the weeds, reinforcing structural elements, cleaning the garbage-strewn areas, and establishing a consistent maintenance schedule.
This will ensure safety, institutional pride and civic responsibility.
In Accra Central, a similar crisis is festering. A growing heap of refuse near the Makola-Tudu Junction, just past the Ghana National Fire Service office has overwhelmed pedestrian walkways and spilled into vehicular lanes.
This not only causes human and traffic congestion but also creates a hazardous public health situation in one of the city’s busiest commercial zones.
As a tour guide and advocate for Ghana’s tourism industry, this development has damaging impact on the country’s image.
Tourists encountering filth in the capital’s core are left with a negative impression, counteracting national efforts to boost tourism.
I therefore call on the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Osu Klottey Municipal Assembly, and sanitation agencies to enforce waste management laws, improve public hygiene infrastructure and revive the National Sanitation Day initiative to foster civic responsibility.
It is time for authorities at all levels to demonstrate leadership and restore dignity to these vital spaces. The status quo is no longer acceptable.
Frederick Nortey (Traveler, Tour Guide, Blogger, Writer)
Accra
Editorial
Renovate Efua Sutherland Children’s Park
The Efua Sutherland Children’s Park at West Ridge in the Greater Accra Region, now in ruins, needs renovations.
The once-vibrant recreational centre for children, families, students, and tourists is now in a state of neglect, according to our reporter who visited the place.
Efua Sutherland, a well-known playwright and children’s author, is honoured by the Park, an important recreational and cultural area. Her work with children made her a notable figure in Ghanaian literature and education.
The Park used to be well-known and a popular destination for schoolchildren, particularly during vacation, but today visitors are met with outdated machinery and dilapidated infrastructure.
A vital green space in the city, the park provides a calm setting for families and children to unwind, play, and take part in cultural events. It is relevant because it fosters community life, offers recreational opportunities, hosts cultural events, and connects people to their Ghanaian heritage.
Additionally, both locals and visitors may easily access it due to its central location. Nothing seems to have been done to update the space or give it a facelift.
During The Spectator’s tour of the facility it was observed that the 14.83-acre playground’s equipment has rusted and turned into death traps instead of serving the intended purpose of entertaining guests.
Children are put off by the condition of the equipment because they are afraid of getting hurt. Inquiries at the location also showed that few people visit to inquire about the place and that its current condition makes it unappealing for event planners to host special events there. This calls into question the country’s dedication to maintaining such iconic and public areas.
There is an urgent need to address the terrible situation.
In order to ensure that events are hosted in the park, The Spectator urges the Ministry of Gender, Women and Social Protection (MCWSP), which is in charge of overseeing the facility, to collaborate with investors and other stakeholders to give it a facelift.
We think that if the Park is renovated, it will draw more event planners and regain its reputation as a communal hub that promotes cultural pride and a sense of belonging.
Editorial
Don’t use polythene bags to store hot, oily foods
Ghanaians have been advised to refrain from putting hot or oily foods in plastic bags because it poses major health risks.
The warning states that storing hot foods in polythene bags, especially ones that are not made for food storage can cause dangerous chemicals to leak into the food, which could be dangerous for one’s health.
Professor Esther Sakyi-Dawson, an Associate Professor of Food Science at the University of Ghana, gave this warning at a World Food Safety Day celebration in Accra on Tuesday.
With the theme “Food Safety: Science in Action,” this year’s World Food Safety Day focused on the critical role that scientific knowledge plays in guaranteeing food safety and fostering confidence in the food supply.
According to Prof. Sakyi-Dawson, when plastics are heated, toxic substances can seep into the food, contaminating it and raising the risk of several chronic illnesses, including hormone imbalances, reproductive problems, and even some types of cancer, which are on the rise in the nation.
According to estimates from the World Health Organisation (WHO), food contamination causes over 400,000 deaths annually and 600 million foodborne illness cases.
Also, a third of all deaths worldwide are caused by foodborne illnesses, which affect at least 91 million people in Africa each year. Of these, 40 percent are in children under the age of five.
Given the concerning statistics, there is an urgent need to raise awareness that eating hot foods like banku, rice, waakye, or “koko” (porridge) wrapped in plastic is extremely harmful to one’s health.
It is more important to avoid putting food in black plastics, which are not food quality and are typically used for carrying items. Similarly, white polythene should not come into close contact with food.
Despite the warning, Ghanaians have been urged to watch out for food-grade plastics, which are frequently thick, to use for food packing and storage as needed
Since “to be forewarned is to be forearmed” The Spectator advises consumers to put their health first by making the appropriate choices about what they put into their bodies for their own safety.
