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Anyinam dumpsites evacuted …residents urged to ensure cleanliness
The District Chief Executive of Atiwa East, Mr Kwabena Nkansah Panin has urged Municipal and District Assemblies in the Eastern Region to make cleanliness an important initiative of the assemblies’ activities.
According to him, the nationwide evacuation of dumpsites in the municipalities and districts was a laudable initiative which would ensure good health for people who stayed in the areas.
Speaking to the media during the evacuation of one of the dumpsites at Anyinam in the Atiwa East District of the region, he expressed his appreciation to the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources (MSWR) for organising the exercise in collaboration with the municipalities and districts.
Mr Nkansah Panin further stated that, the exercise was to fulfill the president’s promise of making the country a clean one, adding “this is why he created the MSWR to fulfill his promise of making Ghana a clean country.”
He noted that the Ministry had undertaken the exercise under the Clean Ghana project and stated that “the government does not only seek to make Accra the cleanest city but want all districts and municipalities in the regions of the country to also benefit from the project.”
The DCE called on people in the district and other municipalities to ensure that they maintained the clean environment after the evacuation so that their communities would create a healthy atmosphere for good living.
Speaking to The Spectator, the Assembly woman of New Jejeti, Ms Vida Appiah said previously, the dumpsites had been a breeding ground for mosquitoes and flies which caused residents to fall sick of malaria, cholera among other diseases.
“The evacuation of the dumping site is a huge relief to us and we would ensure that we maintain the environment and continue to keep it clean to prevent us from getting sick,” she said.
She stated that the site would be used to plant plantain and other crops to support the Planting for Food and Job project.
The MSWR is undertaking the evacuation of dumpsites exercise in other districts of the Eastern Region including Lower Manya Krobo, Kwaebibirem, Abuakwa North, Birim North and Atiwa East.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Anyinam
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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