The Mayor of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA), Frederick Faustinous Faidoo, has strongly defended his administration’s handling of waste management challenges in the metropolis, rejecting suggestions that he should take responsibility for the deteriorating sanitation conditions that have attracted criticism from government officials.
Addressing a news conference in Sekondi on Wednesday, Mr. Faidoo spent more than an hour outlining projects undertaken by the Assembly and detailing what he described as longstanding structural and financial challenges confronting waste management in the metropolis.
His comments come in the wake of sharp criticism from Western Regional Minister Joseph Nelson and Local Government Minister, Ahmed Ibrahim, both of whom recently expressed concern over the poor sanitation situation in the metropolis. The sector minister subsequently directed the Assembly to improve conditions within two weeks.
Asked whether he accepted responsibility for the poor sanitation conditions and why it had taken interventions from the two ministers to draw attention to the situation, the Mayor firmly rejected the assertion, mounting a robust defence of his administration’s record.
According to Mr. Faidoo, the Assembly inherited a waste management system that lacked the basic equipment needed to function effectively. “When I assumed office, the waste management situation in the Assembly was nothing to write home about. The Assembly did not even have a single truck to lift waste from the metropolis,” he said.
The Mayor explained that unlike other assemblies in the Western Region, STMA manages an engineered landfill site at Sofokrom, requiring substantial resources to operate. He argued that the statutory allocation of 10 per cent of the District Assemblies Common Fund for sanitation is inadequate because the Assembly must use part of the allocation to maintain the landfill facility in addition to collecting waste across the metropolis.
“Managing the landfill site is a very expensive venture. The amount allocated for sanitation will not even be enough to manage the landfill site,” he stated. Mr. Faidoo also blamed some of the current challenges on contractual arrangements that predated his administration. He claimed that before he assumed office, the number of skip containers being serviced by waste management company Zoomlion had been reduced from 30 to 16 despite an increase in payments under a renewed contract.
According to him, the reduction left additional waste containers across the metropolis without adequate logistical support for evacuation.
The Mayor said his administration had since acquired two waste collection trucks and increased the number of containers being serviced directly by the Assembly. He further disclosed plans to engage tricycle operators, popularly known as “aboboyaa” riders, in door-to-door waste collection services, particularly in communities inaccessible to larger refuse trucks.
Mr. Faidoo maintained that waste management should not be viewed solely as the responsibility of the Assembly, stressing that residents also have a role to play in keeping the city clean.
“Waste management is a collective responsibility. It should start from us, the individuals,” he said.
He advocated source segregation of waste, arguing that separating plastics, paper and organic materials at the household level would reduce pressure on the landfill site while creating economic opportunities through recycling.
The Mayor also attributed the recurring sight of overflowing refuse containers to inadequate equipment and operational constraints. He noted that until recently, the Assembly had only one functioning waste-lifting truck serving dozens of refuse containers spread across the metropolis.
He said the Assembly had intensified efforts to clear old refuse dumps in several communities and had mobilised resources to tackle sanitation hotspots across the city.
Despite the explanations offered by the Mayor, questions remain over accountability for the sanitation challenges confronting the metropolis, especially after the public rebuke from both the Regional and Local Government Ministers. The Assembly is now under pressure to demonstrate visible improvements within the timeline set by the sector minister.
Background
The sanitation situation in Sekondi-Takoradi has become a major public concern following inspections and comments by Western Regional Minister, Joseph Nelson, and Local Government Minister, Ahmed Ibrahim. Both officials publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the state of sanitation in parts of the metropolis, citing overflowing refuse containers and poor environmental conditions.
Following the criticism, the Local Government Minister reportedly gave the STMA a two-week period to improve sanitation conditions. The Mayor’s press conference was, therefore, closely watched as an opportunity for the Assembly to respond to the concerns and outline measures being taken to address the problem.
A key takeaway from the event was Mr. Faidoo’s refusal to accept personal responsibility for the sanitation challenges, instead attributing the situation to inherited logistical constraints, inadequate funding and broader systemic issues within the waste management chain.
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