As part of its institutional mandate to help build a robust socio-economic development in the country, the University for Development Studies (UDS) has held its 9th Harmattan School.
The two days event held in the UDS International Conference Centre of the Tamale City campus at Dungu was on the theme, “Sanitation, Health Communication and National Development.”
As an annual ritual, the event brought together over a hundred well meaning technocrats from the academia, policy makers, Civil Society Organizations, political parties, Research Institutions and Non Governmental Organizations.
The programme is spearheaded by the UDS Institute for Continuing Education and Interdisciplinary Research (ICEIR) under the competent leadership of Professor Seidu Alhassan.
ICEIR has already produced a comprehensive book on Corruption and Accountable Governance to serve as a policy guide to duty bearers.
The book contained recommendations sourced from participants of previous versions of the Harmattan School.
Convener/ Director of ICEIR
At the opening of the 9th edition, Director of ICEIR, Professor Seidu Alhassan explained that the concept was initiated to offer people the opportunity to brainstorm and proffer pragmatic solutions to the nation’s socio-economic challenges.
He said the uniqueness of the Harmattan School was a clear manifestation of the UDS’ objective to nurture responsible citizens who will be accountable for repositioning Northern Ghana within the scheme of national and global affairs.
Professor Seidu Alhassan promised that the Harmattan School will continue to design mechanisms or benchmarks to expose corruption in every facet of the Ghanaian economy.
He commended the UDS authorities for their financial commitment to sustain the programme which has gained international stardom.
He also acknowledged the contributions of corporate bodies and Non Governmental Organizations including the Northern Sector Action on Awareness Centre for supporting the programme.
Principal Speaker
As a principal speaker, Vice Chancellor of Ho based University of Health and Allied Sciences, Professor Fred Minka turned around his elaborate presentation on his coiled theme dubbed, “Sanitation Challenge in Ghana: the view point and solutions,” which was in line with the original theme for the 9th Harmattan School.
He praised Professor Seidu Alhassan’s led ICEIR team for the initiative.
Professor Minka cited inadequate funding for sanitation and environmental management, non-enforceability of sanitation by-laws, attitudinal changes, lack of recycling plants and inadequate landfill sites as some of the risk factors.
He bemoaned the continual outbreak of cholera in Ghana and challenged government to consider the phenomenon as a major human national security threat.
According to him, a research finding projected that a total of 5,200 bucket latrines existed in some communities of the nation’s capital Accra.
He condemned open defecation and dumping of human excreta into the Lagoon.
Though laudable, Professor Minka downplayed the efficacy of the National Sanitation Day exercise in finding solutions to the nation’s environmental hazards.
He nonetheless tasked Ghanaians to take advantage of it and keep their environment tidy.
Solutions
Professor Minka advised government to use multifaceted approaches to deal with the menace.
He also charged the various assemblies to closely monitor, arrest and issue spot fines to people who dump refuse at unapproved spaces.
He called for strict enforcement of the nation’s by-laws on sanitation to clump down on people whose nefarious activities contributed to insanitary practices.
Professor Minka insisted that the by-laws on sanitation must be clinically enforced with total disregard for favoritism.
He kicked against depositing into the national kitty fines deduced from enforcement of sanitation by-laws the nations law courts.
He suggested that such fines should be given to the Local Government system to reinvest it in sanitation and environmental management as a prudent measure to eradicate cholera and other communicable diseases.
He provoked government to establish engineered landfill sites and recycling plants to contain composite waste.
Northern Regional Minister
In a speech read on his behalf, Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna urged the participants to actively participate in the discussions.
He also implored the participants to cultivate the can-do-spirit by putting Ghana above their parochial interests.
Alhaji Limuna implied that government was ready to adopt recommendations by the participants as a policy guideline to propel national development.
He said the introduction of the National Sanitation Day exercise was unprecedented for which reason all hands must be on deck.
“The National Sanitation exercise is a special day which falls on the first Saturday of every month whereby government officials, workers and ordinary citizens are called upon to embark on massive campaigns in various cities, towns and villages in order to improve sanitation and environmental cleanliness in the country.”
“Permit me to use this platform to encourage all of you gathered here to make it a national call to duty to ensure good sanitary conditions and environmental cleanliness in our various neighborhoods and also become active participants in the National Sanitation Day exercise,” Alhaji Limuna remarked.
UDS Vice Chancellor
Vice Chancellor of the UDS, Professor Haruna Yakubu recalled that the Harmattan School was initiated in February 2007 by the UDS to provide a platform for major stakeholders to brainstorm and offer solutions to teething developmental challenges confronting the country.
He said the theme for the 9th edition was appropriate in view of the outbreak of cholera and malaria recorded particularly in the Greater Accra Region.
Professor Yakubu lamented, “If attention is not paid to sanitation issues that have engulfed our nation: Ghana’s effort at meeting the Millennium Development Goal on health would be eroded.”
He added, “Our social and economic development target as a country would in the long run be a mirage if sanitation is not well tackled: providing such a platform to deliberate and recommend solutions to issues of sanitation and health are very relevant to Ghana’s development and human workforce.”
He attributed peoples flouting of sanitation by-laws with impunity to the absence of community sanitary inspectors who in the past charged irresponsible households for insanitary practices.
“The moral fiber of society would be lost if we allow this country to be dominated by insanitary and unhealthy conditions: years gone by, people who failed to keep their homes and immediate environment clean were summoned and charged by “Samah-Samah” for sanitation offences to discourage others.”
Some of the regular participants told Citi News they never regretted participating in the previous editions.
They thereby advised the general public to develop keen interest in the annual activities of the UDS Harmattan School.
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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana