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National Convener of M-CODe calls on authorities to enforce building permits and by-laws
The National Convener of the Media Coalition Against Open Defecation (M-CODe), Mr Francis Ameyibor has called on Regional Coordinating Councils (RCC) and the various Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to strictly enforce building permits and bye-laws that compel landlords and potential developers of houses to include toilet facilities in their building plans.
He said that has become necessary as it was the first measure and best measure to ending widespread open defecation that has become problematic in the country.
“The RCC and MMDAs play critical roles in granting building permit and hence the starting point to eradicating open defecation is the enforcement of building laws and bye laws which compels potential developers to include toilet facilities in their building plans,” he said.
Mr Ameyibor made the call in Koforidua during the launch of the Eastern Regional M-CODe Open Defecation Free Stakeholders Engagement Platform which was purposed to accelerate the fight against the practice in the region while they contributed to helping the country to eradicate it by 2030.
The launch of the platform which formed part of the “M-CODe 2023 Anti-Open Defecation Nationwide Advocacy” efforts supported by World Vision would also ensure collaboration between media practitioners’ and other stakeholders to work together to identify challenges and operational gabs, and work together towards a common goal of eradicating the practice.
Stakeholders on the platform would include the RCC, Regional Environmental Health Office, National Commission for Civic education (NCCE), Regional SHEP, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice and Community Water and Sanitation Agency and the media (CWSA).
Mr Ameyibor stated that it was a disgrace to all Ghanaians that in the 21st century, some people continued to engage in open defecation, and stated the practice cast a slur on the country, especially on the international scene.
He said there was the need for the RCC and MMDAs to be supported to educate the public to understand that building permits would only be granted to potential developers with strategic building plans that clearly showed that toilet facilities would be included in their plans.
“While we work to ensure that old houses without toilets rectify the anomalies, we must ensure that new buildings are not allowed to spring up without toilet facilities,” he said.
He stated the Eastern Regional M-CODe platform would relentlessly engage the RCC and MMDAs to play a bigger role towards the achievement of open defecation free Ghana as “we seek through the platform to rejuvenate public awareness campaign towards the global target of elimination of open defecation by 2030.”
He said as part of measures MMDAs and RCCs doing well to end open defecation would be applauded while other who do not would be exposed, adding that other stakeholders including World Vision, Greater Accra Metropolitan Area Sanitation and Water Project, religious and traditional leaders, among others would be involved and called on corporate world to support national and regional efforts with the required investment.
For his part, the World Vision Ghana Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Technical Coordinator, Mr Yaw Atta Arhin stated that his outfit would continue to support the government and other stakeholders to hasten access to basic sanitation infrastructure to help in improved sanitation of the country.
He said while the country has made significant progress to ensuring access to safe water, the progress towards universal access to improved sanitation and ending open defecation has been slow.
He therefore urged the M-CODe to scale up its efforts across the country by organizing innovative programmes and engage significant stakeholders as well as use social and traditional media to educate the public and end open defecation.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua
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Focus on more pressing issues like Galamsey, not hate speech – Ellen Ama Daaku to Mahama
An aide to former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia,Ellen Ama Daaku has advised President John Dramani Mahama to shift his attention from social media hate speech to more urgent national issues such as illegal mining.
Speaking in an interview, she noted that the President’s recent comments about tracking the IP addresses of people who spread hate speech were unnecessary.
According to her, President Mahama must first define what he considers to be hate speech before seeking to punish people for it.
Ms. Daaku argued that the President himself had benefitted from hate speech and social media attacks in the past when he was in opposition.
She said even during his time in government, he described his opponents and their tribesmen in unpalatable terms, which later drew complaints from former President Nana Akufo-Addo to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
She stressed that harsh criticism of leaders on social media should not automatically be considered hate speech, adding that former leaders, including former President Nana Akufo-Addo had all been subjected to it.
“He is only feeling what Nana Akufo-Addo went through for eight years,” she remarked.
While acknowledging the need to regulate misconduct online, Ms. Daaku insisted that going after social media activists should not be a priority.
She noted that many political activists, including herself, had been insulted and attacked online but never called for arrests.
She concluded that President Mahama should focus his energy on solving pressing problems such as galamsey and the economy instead of concentrating on critics on social media.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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Prof Alidu Seidu files nomination for Tamale Central seat
The newly elected parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Tamale Central, Prof Alidu Seidu, has submitted his nomination forms to the Electoral Commission.
As of 10:00 a.m. today, he was the only person who had filed to contest the seat.
Nomination of candidates will close at the end of the day.
Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana Legon, Prof. Alidu Seidu won the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries in the Tamale Central constituency with a landslide victory.
The elections, supervised by the party’s Elections and IT Directorate in the Northern Region, saw Prof. Seidu poll 840 votes out of the total valid ballots cast.
His closest contender, Lawyer Hanan Gundadow Abdul-Rahaman, secured 536 votes.
The other aspirants could not make significant gains, with Dr. Seidu Fiter obtaining 44 votes, Aliu Abdul-Hamid 23 votes, and the rest recording fewer than 10 votes each.
In all, 1,500 ballots were cast, with 6 ballots rejected and 7 spoilt ballots recorded.
The results were signed and declared by Dr. Arnold Mashud Abukari, NDC Northern Regional Director of Elections and IT.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) held parliamentary primaries in Tamale Central to choose a candidate for the upcoming by-election following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed. Dr. Mohammed, who also served as Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, tragically died in a military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District on August 6, 2025, alongside seven others.
His passing left the Tamale Central seat vacant, as required by Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The Electoral Commission has scheduled the by-election for September 30, 2025. While the NDC moved quickly to open nominations and vet aspirants, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) announced it would not contest the seat, citing the need to respect the somber circumstances and promote national unity.
By: Jacob Aggrey
