By: A news desk report
The Mayor of Kumasi,Hon.Samuel Pyne has stated that the vision of Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly(KMA) for waste management is to promote sustainable, environmentally sound and cost-effective waste management practices for the citizenry through innovative technologies, customer service and education. According to him, effective waste management is one of the primary drivers of public health which leads to healthier citizens who can contribute better to the local economy.
The mayor admitted that Solid Waste Management has remained one of their biggest challenges; the dumping of solid waste into open areas, storm drains and indiscriminate littering, particularly in the CBD, has exacerbated KMA’s sanitation-related challenges which come in its wake with attendant health issues. “Indeed, improved sanitation in the metropolis is a shared responsibility involving residents, businesses, commuters and other stakeholders.
Though a daunting task, it is my desire to pursue a “Clean Kumasi Agenda”aimed at improving sanitation and waste management towards restoring Kumasi to its past glory. I have, therefore, instituted a monthly cleanup exercise to be undertaken throughout the city to help rid the city of filth. This venture is capital intensive and as such requires a lot of resources to make it sustainable.
To help us raise funds to meet this expenditure, letters soliciting for assistance have been sent out to corporate bodies and institutions for support either in cash or kind as part of their corporate social responsibility. Our hope is to provide a clean, litter-free and healthy environment for citizens”, he added.
The above was contained in a SESSIONAL ADDRESS DELIVERED BY THE METROPOLITAN CHIEF EXECUTIVE, HON. SAMUEL PYNE DURING THE 1ST ORDINARY MEETING OF THE 3RD SESSION OF THE 8TH KUMASI METROPOLITAN ASSEMBLY (KMA) HELD AT THE PREMPEH ASSEMBLY HALL ON TUESDAY 14TH JUNE, 2022 AT 10:00AM
The Mayor said to ensure that the aforementioned vision materializes; various private actors are deeply involved at different stages of the waste management service chain. He said some private service providers carry out the collection and transportation of solid waste within the metropolis on the Assembly’s behalf.
In this connection, proper integration of these services and collaboration with service providers will be pursued to drive the “Clean Kumasi Agenda”.
This, he said will require the provision of facilities like transfer stations, waste separation containers, composting hubs and waste to energy plants. “We are seriously exploring avenues and leaving no stone unturned in our search for lasting solutions and the provision of these facilities to enhance waste management in the metropolis”..
On Holistic Reinforcement for Sustainable Development Project (HORESD),Hon Sam Pyne said fortunately, “on our part, the HORESD project has come to our aid.
The concept of this project ties in beautifully with my vision under waste management to keep the city clean by making solid waste a resource for sustainable job creation and income generation for 500 unemployed youth and people at risk of social exclusion by 2024”.
He disclosed that the KMA in partnership with Mancomunitat de la Ribera Alta (MANRA) of Spain and the City-County of Praia of Cape Verde has secured 2.5 million euros from the European Union to implement a project dubbed “Holistic Reinforcement for Sustainable Development” (HORESD).
This project,he said will help the Assembly to develop a Strategic Urban Solid Waste Management Plan, form a Territorial Management Group and a Technical Working Group that will govern and operationalize a coherent waste collection system in the city.
He said Pilot projects that will improve waste management services in the city through the creation of green jobs will be carried out. Thus four (4) Composting Stations and two (2) Eco-Recycling Stations will be created to promote the concept of a circular economy. Adding that,the project will also establish a School for Sustainable Entrepreneurship, that will help a wide range of entrepreneurs in Kumasi to develop green jobs. Capacity building, investment and provision of seed capital will be facilitated to make it a reality, giving priority to the people at risk of social exclusion and the unemployed youth.
“Through this project, over 100 people at risk of social exclusion and unemployed youth as well as 10 professionals will be directly employed and earn a sustainable income and improve livelihood.
A permanent information center, called “Green Point”, to assist with citizen awareness creation and capacity building has been set up, as we speak, at Asokwa, near the Asokwa Presbyterian Basic School. The following activities are expected to be carried out under the project:Implementation of an integrated waste management and collection system,Construction of 4No. small community composting stations,Construction of 2No. small recycling “eco-stations”,Implementation of an intelligent cloud/GPS/app system for managing garbage collection routes,Creating a circular economy by training and setting up people who work informally in the waste sector and especially people at risk of social exclusion such as women, disadvantaged youth, those with special needs and entrepreneurs.This project, we believe, will go a long way to address some of our waste management challenges.To complement this project, the Assembly intends to renovate the liquid waste treatment facilities to ensure the value chain is complete”.
