“Make cleanliness your major priority in your respective areas or get fired”- Mahama warns MMDCEs:
President John Mahama has put Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) on notice: their jobs now depend on the cleanliness of their districts.
Speaking during his Thank You Tour of the Greater Accra Region in Dodowa on Friday, May 16, President Mahama announced that maintaining clean communities will be a primary measure of performance for MMDCEs and will directly influence whether they retain their positions. “Cleanliness will become one of the key performance indicators for measuring the performance of MMDCEs and will determine whether they remain in the office or are removed,” he stated.
The President also addressed concerns about persistent flooding, particularly in Accra, attributing the problem to poor drainage, unregulated development, and climate change. Calling the situation “intolerable,” he outlined steps being taken to address the issue, including the implementation of a comprehensive flood mitigation plan by a specialized inter-agency task team. Key measures include reengineering waterways, relocating buildings in watercourses, desilting drains, and enforcing building codes, with particular focus on the Odaw Basin and Kaneshie-Mallam corridor.
Expressing frustration over delays in flood prevention projects under the World Bank-supported Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) initiative, President Mahama advised residents in flood-prone areas to exercise caution during the rainy season.
To empower MMDAs to improve sanitation, the President announced that 80% of the District Assemblies Common Fund’s revenue will now be disbursed directly to them, providing increased resources for sanitation and development programs. He also revealed plans for full decentralization of the sanitation budget, making each district fully accountable for maintaining cleanliness.
“Accra deserves a clean and resilient environment, and that is why we are integrating the Greater Accra Flood Master Control Plan into our national climate resilience strategy,” President Mahama concluded.
