In January this year, the Minister for Inner City and Zongo Development (MICZD), Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, together with the Mayor of Accra, Mohammed Adjei Sowah, inspected 252 household toilets that the Ministry helped to build for communities in the inner-city areas of Accra. These inner-city communities include but are not limited to Mudor, Ayalolo, Korle Gonno, Mamprobi, Agbogbloshie, Bukom, Adabraka, Chorkor, Okpongobu, and Kokompe. This project was undertaken under the Greater Accra Metropolitan Assembly Sanitation and Water Project (GAMA-SWP) and supported by the World Bank and the Government of Ghana.
Under this project, the World Bank provided 70% of the cost of one household toilet. Residents of the households were supposed to provide the remaining 30%. However, many households were unable to find the money to complement the World Bank’s support. The MICZD stepped in to provide the 30% funding that enabled these households to have toilets in their houses. This project is meant to end open defecation, especially along the beaches of Accra. Indeed, the effort of the MICZD adds to the 27,000 household toilets that have so far been built in the communities of Accra.
Over the weekend, some faceless and mischievous people, recycled a picture of the Minister’s visit to one of the beneficiary houses in January on social media and alleged that;
The event just took place (in the era of COVID) with no social distancing and with handshakes and all.
The Minister and the Mayor went to commission a single toilet.
While many discerning Ghanaians saw through the mischief, many more fell for the deceit. We wish by this release to expose the treachery of these faceless people and to call on Ghanaians to ignore the vile and wicked propaganda meant to belittle the intelligence of the Minister and the Mayor. The MICZD is even more determined to work to alleviate the suffering of people of inner cities and it will not be deterred by mischief, treachery and propaganda.
Ahmed Ayuba
(PRO, MICZD)
0507654255
