The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Effutu, Hon. Rev. Atta Mensah, has spearheaded an intensive municipality-wide sanitation campaign as the Effutu Municipal Assembly joined Ghana’s nationwide two-day clean-up exercise aimed at tackling poor environmental sanitation and reducing the risk of devastating floods.
The exercise, held on Friday, July 10, and Saturday, July 11, 2026, followed a national directive by the President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, in response to recent flooding incidents that affected several parts of the country. The initiative forms part of government’s broader commitment to restoring environmental discipline under the Reset Ghana Agenda, with a strong focus on desilting drains, improving sanitation and building climate-resilient communities.
From the onset, Hon. Rev. Atta Mensah took a hands-on leadership role, mobilising institutions, coordinating stakeholders and personally ensuring that the municipality was adequately prepared for the exercise. In a demonstration of his administration’s commitment to community participation, he donated cleaning tools and sanitation equipment to the Effutu Directorate of the Ghana Education Service, the National Service Authority, Effutu Directorate, and the Winneba Local Prison to facilitate their full participation.
The two-day campaign transformed sections of Winneba into centres of coordinated civic action as hundreds of residents, security personnel, government agencies, traditional stakeholders, youth groups, traders and volunteers worked side by side to restore cleanliness across the municipality.
Activities commenced at 6:30 a.m. on Friday at the bustling Winneba Central Market, where participants embarked on an extensive clean-up operation that included sweeping streets, desilting heavily silted gutters, clearing refuse from drainage channels and removing debris obstructing the free flow of stormwater.
In a coordinated effort to ensure maximum impact, personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service subsequently flushed the drainage systems with high-pressure water, removing accumulated silt and waste that had built up over several months. The exercise later extended to the Winneba Local Prison enclave, where teams continued sanitation activities to improve environmental conditions within the surrounding communities.
One of the most remarkable highlights of the exercise was the overwhelming public response from traders and business owners within the municipality. Although the clean-up coincided with Winneba’s major market day, traders complied with the Assembly’s directive to suspend commercial activities until 12:00 noon, choosing instead to actively participate in the sanitation exercise.
The unusual sight of normally busy market centres temporarily giving way to sweeping, desilting and communal labour underscored a growing sense of shared responsibility among residents determined to safeguard their municipality against future flooding.
The exercise resumed on Saturday, with teams cleaning the Roman School enclave and adjoining communities before concluding at the Winneba Junction.
Addressing participants during the exercise, Hon. Rev. Atta Mensah expressed profound appreciation to residents and institutions for embracing the national initiative, describing the overwhelming participation as a powerful demonstration of unity, civic responsibility and community ownership.
“You can clearly see that this exercise has brought everyone together. The security agencies, NADMO, the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana National Fire Service, the media and many other stakeholders have all responded to the call. What impresses me most is that traders honoured the directive to keep their shops closed and instead joined the clean-up exercise. This is the kind of commitment we need if we are to achieve the results we desire,” he said.
The MCE noted that while the nationwide exercise had achieved significant results, sustained sanitation efforts at the community level would be the true measure of success.
He observed that recurring challenges including inadequate sanitation equipment, the misconception that environmental cleanliness is solely the responsibility of government agencies, and the declining culture of communal labour continue to undermine efforts to maintain healthy communities.
Hon. Rev. Atta Mensah therefore called on residents to revive the long-standing tradition of volunteerism and communal labour, stressing that environmental cleanliness must become an everyday civic obligation rather than an occasional government-led activity.
“Your participation has been commendable, but two days of clean-up are not enough. Keeping our environment clean should become a daily habit if we want a healthier and flood-resilient municipality.”
He further described the nationwide exercise as a practical demonstration of the Government’s Reset Ghana Agenda and commended President John Dramani Mahama and the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs for initiating the campaign.
According to the MCE, sustained community involvement in environmental sanitation will significantly reduce flooding, particularly within the Winneba Central Market and surrounding communities where blocked drainage systems have previously posed serious risks.
The Municipal Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Madam Faustina Okaley Aryeetey, explained that the exercise formed part of proactive disaster-risk reduction measures following recent flooding incidents within sections of the municipality.
She disclosed that post-flood assessments conducted by NADMO identified heavily choked drains within the Winneba Market as one of the principal causes of the flooding, attributing the situation largely to indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drainage channels.
“Following the recent flooding incident, our assessment revealed that one of the major causes was the blockage of drains within the market area due to indiscriminate dumping of refuse. This clean-up exercise is intended to restore the drainage system, protect lives and property and ensure that residents can go about their daily activities with peace of mind whenever it rains. Effutu is not a flood-prone municipality, and together we can prevent such incidents from occurring again.”
She emphasised that environmental sanitation transcends political affiliation and urged residents to view the exercise as a shared national responsibility.
“This exercise is not about partisan politics. It is in the interest of the nation and the people of Effutu. That is why all the security agencies and stakeholders have joined hands to keep our municipality clean and prevent future flooding.”
As the exercise drew to a close, Hon. Rev. Atta Mensah reinforced his administration’s commitment to sustaining the momentum by distributing additional sanitation tools—including Wellington boots, cutlasses, brooms and other cleaning equipment—to selected communities across the municipality.
He explained that the donation was intended to empower local communities to organise regular clean-up campaigns throughout the year rather than waiting for nationally declared sanitation exercises.
The gesture was warmly received by community leaders, who described it as a practical investment in grassroots environmental management and a significant boost to ongoing communal sanitation efforts.
The successful conclusion of the two-day campaign marks another milestone in the Effutu Municipal Assembly’s efforts to strengthen environmental governance, improve public health and build resilient communities capable of withstanding the growing challenges associated with climate change and urban flooding.
With renewed public enthusiasm, stronger institutional collaboration and sustained leadership from the Municipal Chief Executive, the Assembly says it will continue to intensify public education, deepen community engagement and enforce environmental health by-laws to ensure that sanitation becomes a permanent feature of everyday life across the municipality.
For Hon. Rev. Atta Mensah, the message was clear: the fight against flooding begins not only with government action but with every resident taking ownership of the environment they call home. Story By: Charles Baah Aboagye & Nana Yaa Bredu -ISD
Last modified: July 16, 2026
