Editorial
Plastics waste is blocking our drains
Dear Editor,
I am alarmed by the increasing rate of plastic waste in our communities.
Bottles, sachet water wrappers and food containers have become a common sight on our streets, markets and in our drainage system. This is gradually turning into an environmental and public health risk.
Improper disposal of plastic waste blocks the drains, causing flooding during rainy season and creating breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
It also pollutes the rivers, lakes and sea, threatening aquatic life and affecting the livelihood of many people especially fishermen.
Although government agencies, environmental organisations and community groups have organised a clean-up exercises, the menace remains a major headache for bodies responsible in tackling the sanitation problems.
There is, therefore, an urgent need for strict enforcement of the sanitation laws, increased investment in recycling facilities and sustained public education on waste management.
Every citizen has a role to play by disposing off waste responsibly, reducing the use of single use plastics and participating in community clean-up exercise.
Protecting the environment is not just a responsibility for the government. It is one for every citizen and our collective actions today will determine the quality life for the future or the next generation.
As a concerned citizen, I hope this issue receive the immediate attention it deserves before plastic waste pollution causes even greater damage to our communities.
Desmond Aidoo,
Sowutuom
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to draw the attention of the authorities to the deplorable state of the road at Bortianor Hills in the Ga South Municipality, and the serious effect it is having on our environment and our health.
The road has been in a terrible condition for years. It is full of deep potholes, gullies and loose stones. When it rains, the entire stretch becomes muddy, flooded and completely impassable. Cars get stuck, school children wade through dirty water to get to school, and pregnant women and the sick struggle to get to hospital.
When it is dry, the situation is even worse. The dust is unbearable. It covers our homes, our food, our clothes and our shops. We breathe this dust every day. Many residents, especially children and the elderly, are now suffering from cough, catarrh, asthma and eye infections.
What pains us most is that some time ago, a contractor came and applied only the first coat on portions of the road and then left. Since then, there has been no improvement. That first coat has already been washed away by the rains. In fact, the road is now worse than it was before, because the loose gravel and the broken edges have created more dust and more erosion.
The environment is suffering too. Because of the bad road, tanker trucks and heavy vehicles that bring us water and building materials have further destroyed what is left of it. The drains are choked, rainwater has no proper channel, and erosion is eating into people’s plots and foundations. The dust and noise have killed the peace of this once quiet community.
Bortianor Hills is a fast-growing community. People are building, paying taxes, paying property rates and contributing to national development. We do not deserve to live in this condition.
We are therefore appealing to the Ga South Municipal Assembly, the Department of Urban Roads, and the Ministry of Roads and Highways to come back and complete the road. If a contract was awarded, let it be enforced. If the contractor has abandoned site, let a new one be engaged. Silence is not acceptable.
Good roads are not a luxury. They are life, health and dignity.
Resident,
A significant shift in Ghana’s diaspora policy is highlighted by the first Open D.O.O.R. Dialogues, which move the emphasis from transient heritage tourism, such as the 2019 Year of Return, to a planned, 10-year framework for long-term repatriation and economic integration.
Although the project highlights the African diaspora’s enormous developmental potential, the conversations reveal a persistent conflict between high-level political goodwill and the practical, bureaucratic reality that returnees must deal with.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs correctly notes that the diaspora is more than just seasonal tourists; it is an important source of investment, innovation, and talent transfer.
According to Dr. Collins Rawlings Nyunyonyame, institutional fragmentation rather than a lack of motivation is the main obstacle to sustainable return. Long-term settlement is deliberately discouraged when potential returns confront unclear bureaucratic procedures across many agencies, such as immigration, foreign affairs, and diaspora affairs.
A crucial operational step is the demand for a centralised platform for diaspora opportunities and efficient collaboration. Grand policies run the risk of failing at the implementation phase if there are no clear, uniform processes for citizenship, business registration, and property acquisition.
Ghana can increase local industries, close skills gaps in specialised fields, and attract foreign direct investment by drawing in wealthy or highly qualified diasporans. The state must, however, strike a balance between these incentives to avoid unintentionally marginalising locals, especially in highly competitive industries like urban real estate.
In order to feel like they belong and have the chance to “Build Home,” returnees need civic security and legal clarity. Practical deterrents include things like complicated land tenure regimes, friction between dual citizenship, and expensive import charges on personal belongings.
The shift from a “Year of Return” to a “Decade of Repatriation” necessitates extensive integration at the community level. For repatriation to be successful, everyday economic and social partnerships between returnees and local communities must take precedence over scholarly and ministerial discussions.
The Open D.O.O.R. Dialogues accurately point out that emotional appeal is insufficient for the next stage of diaspora engagement. Ghana’s policy needs to change from cultural welcoming to a highly organised, seamless institutional ecosystem if the concept “Come Home. Stay Home. Build Home.” is to become a reality.
