Group photograph of the dignitaries under the programme.
THE DEPUTY Minister of Environment, Science and Technology and Innovation, Mrs. Patricia Appiagyei has disclosed that government is finalising a strategic plan to address the country’s sanitation challenges.
According to her, the strategic plan will involve the full participation of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in its implementation.
She was optimistic the strategic plan would help Ghana effectively manage waste, and would also go a long way to improve the sanitation situation to make Ghana one of the cleanest countries.
Delivering a keynote address as the Special Guest at the ‘Voice For Change (V4C)’ partnership programme organized by SNV in Accra dubbed ‘Building Vibrant CSOs for Advocacy’, Mrs. Appiagyei further revealed that as part of the plan, government will construct waste management plants in some parts of the country.
Touching on post-harvest losses, the Deputy Minister mentioned Planting for Food and Jobs as one of government’s efforts in tackling the country’s food security, improve nutrition and minimize post-harvest loses.
She noted that government will continue to improve investment in the promotion of clean cooking system for the benefit of the lower income class, believing that it will save lives, prevent the forest from further degradation and reduce the burden of smoke inhaled diseases in households.
For his part, H.E Ron Strikker, the Ambassador of the Royal Kingdom of the Netherlands called on government to continue to create the enabling environment for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to operate without any hindrance.
According to him, when CSOs are supported with the required capital and given the opportunity to criticise policies of government through dialogue, it will facilitate change and development in most sectors of the economy.
“Civil Society is the voice of the citizens and when they make government accountable it will bring about much development, make democracy stronger and make the country better.”
The ambassador believed that advocacy has become a fulcrum of change in most areas of development across the globe, adding that “The Voice For Change is a typical example that SNV and its partners have put together to ensure change in key areas of the country.”
Mr. Eric Z. Banye, Country Programme Coordinator of SNV in his speech indicated that through the ‘Voice for Change Partnership’ (V4CP) programme, SNV supports CSOs to foster collaboration among relevant stakeholders, influence agenda-setting and hold the government and private sector accountable for their promises and actions.
By Vincent Kubi