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Agona West Municipality declared cleanest in Central Region

By Isaac Arkoh, GNA
Accra, Jan.12, GNA – The Central Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), on Friday declared the Agona West Municipality as the cleanest in the region.
This was followed by the Upper Denkyira East Municipal and the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) Municipality respectively.
At the bottom of the table were the Cape Coast Metro, Gomoa Central, Ekumfi and the Assin North Municipality.
The declaration among others were made at the 2018 Education and Sanitation Excellence awards ceremony held in Cape Coast.
The awards are aimed at rewarding students, schools, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) for showing exceptional performances in education, environment and sanitation.
It was organized by the RCC with support from UNICEF, Zoomlion Ghana Limited and corporate bodies.
« Promoting excellence in education and environmental health and sanitation in the Central Region: A shared responsibility », was the theme for programme.
The awards were given after 12 months of fierce contest on sanitation and environment sustainability challenge introduced by the RCC for all MMDAs.
Under the initiative, Assemblies were charged to adopt innovative and environmentally friendly policies and show unwavering commitment to improve the sanitation menace to sustain the environment.
This is geared towards prioritising and working strategically to improve health through better water, sanitation and hygiene to prevent outbreak of preventable diseases while achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
On moves to end the open defecation, the Ajumako-Eyan-Essiam (AEEDA) topped the region and was keenly followed by Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa (AOB), Assin South and Gomoa Central Districts.
Of the 781 communities, 60 had been declared as open defecation free communities.
Meanwhile, more than 503 communities examined in Cape Coast Metro, Gomoa Central, Ekumfi and Assin North, were not declared open defecation free.
Other awardees include the cleanest hospital, Dunkwa-on-Offin Government Hospital; cleanest basic school, Dokono Nkwanta basic school in the AOB District; while the best eatery went to Thy Grace Local along the Cape Coast-Accra Highway.
The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) Radio Central and the University of Cape Coast campuses radio, Atlantic FM (ATL) were also honoured for their dedicated broadcast on sanitation.
On the traditional front, the Paramount Chief of Elmina, Nana Kojo Conduah IV, Omanhen of Edina Traditional Area, Nana Prah Agyensaim VI, Omanhene of Owerenkyiman Traditional Area, Nana Pray Agyensiam I, Nana Mbrobah Daboah I, Queenmother of Anomabo and all paramouncies were awarded for tackling sanitation issues well in their Areas.
They were given refuse bins, tricycles, wheelbarrows among other undisclosed items.
Mr Kwamena Duncan, Regional Minister in his welcoming address, called on assemblies to step up education on hygiene to curb the open defecation abysmal and encourage good sanitation practices.
Stakeholders, he said, must also support extensive sensitisation campaign on personal hygiene to solve the problem of cholera and other communicable diseases.
He said assemblies must in collaboration with traditional authorities, enact effective sanitation by-laws to promote sound environmental sanitation.
AT/PDC