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The Sanitation and Water Resources Committee of Parliament has called on the government to decouple the 10-pesewa sanitation levy from the Energy Sector Levy and increase it to 50 pesewas to help address Ghana’s worsening sanitation crisis.
Chairman of the Committee and MP for Nkwanta North, John Oti Bless, speaking to journalists on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, stressed that the lack of a dedicated and sustainable funding stream is crippling efforts to tackle sanitation challenges across the country.
He noted that following the cancellation of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA)–Zoomlion contract, Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) have been left financially constrained, making it difficult for them to engage waste management service providers effectively.
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“I want to propose that we increase it, at least. We can make it GHp 0.50. We then distribute this money, giving a percentage to the National Youth Employment Agency to support them in recruiting more people,” Mr Bless said.
Citing his own constituency as an example, he revealed that the Gh¢200,000 allocated for sanitation in his district is grossly inadequate, making it impossible to deal with pressing waste management issues.
“The amount of money given to my district, for example, with a lot of sanitation issues, according to the directors, is around Gh¢200,000. That is inadequate, and it cannot solve sanitation issues. Unless we have a clear source of funding,” he added.
The Committee believes that increasing the levy and ring-fencing it exclusively for sanitation projects will empower MMDAs to respond more effectively to Ghana’s growing waste management needs, while also supporting job creation in the sector.
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