The Director of Public Health at the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Florence Kuukyi, has issued a stark warning over the worsening sanitation situation in the capital, cautioning that the growing levels of filth are fuelling deadly diseases and contributing to poor air quality that claims tens of thousands of lives each year.
Speaking to the media, Ms Kuukyi described the situation as “disheartening”, noting that Accra’s sanitation challenges have reached critical levels that require urgent and coordinated action from government, private waste collectors, and residents alike.
“This is leading to a number of diseases, not just diarrhoea and typhoid. It also has an impact on the air you breathe. Studies have it that in Ghana, over 28,000 people die prematurely due to air pollution. This means that in every 19 minutes, somebody dies due to air pollution,” she revealed.
Ms Kuukyi highlighted the direct link between poor sanitation and the spread of diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and diarrhoea, which continue to burden the city’s public health system. Beyond these immediate threats, the accumulation of waste in drains, streets, and open spaces is releasing pollutants into the air, exacerbating respiratory illnesses and reducing overall air quality.
She emphasised that air pollution is now a silent killer, gradually affecting communities, especially vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing health conditions.
The AMA Public Health Director underscored that effective sanitation management cannot be left solely to government authorities, pointing out that residents must take personal responsibility for the waste they generate.
“Sanitation in the country is a collective and collaborative effort. Everyone has a role to play when it comes to sanitation issues. In Ghana, we are practising the ‘pollutant pay’ system — the persons who generate the waste must pay for it to be disposed of,” she explained.
However, Ms Kuukyi lamented that many residents continue to shirk their responsibilities, dumping refuse indiscriminately and leaving government agencies to bear the brunt of cleanup efforts.
“People generate waste and do not want to take on that responsibility, and they want to push everything on the government,” she said.
She called for closer collaboration between the AMA, private waste management companies, and the public, urging residents to cooperate fully with sanitation and environmental health authorities. According to her, making Accra a cleaner and safer city requires a collective behavioural change, strict enforcement of sanitation by-laws, and improved waste collection systems.
The warning from the AMA comes at a time when the capital is grappling with mounting waste disposal challenges, clogged drainage systems, and periodic disease outbreaks—threatening both public health and the city’s image.
As Accra continues its push to become one of Africa’s cleanest cities, sanitation experts say real progress will only come when citizens match government efforts with responsible behaviour.
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