Africa-Press – Ghana. The Local Governance Network (LOGNet), a leading network of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Ghana, has endorsed the government’s new directive to use sanitation indicators as a key metric for assessing the performance of Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
The endorsement follows the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs’ announcement that cleanliness and sanitation will now serve as a core Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for all Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).
Assemblies will be evaluated based on their ability to desilt drains, clear refuse heaps, and maintain clean public spaces daily, with compliance monitored through a central dashboard and citizen feedback mechanisms.
The LOGNet described the directive as a “bold and necessary shift”, emphasising that sanitation goes beyond public health and environmental cleanliness, framing it as a governance issue and a litmus test for leadership and responsiveness.
“By tying performance to visible outcomes, empowering citizens, and demanding greater accountability from local authorities, the government is laying the foundation for good governance,” LOGNet said in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency, in Kumasi.
It highlighted that poor sanitation remains one of Ghana’s biggest development challenges, contributing to disease outbreaks, environmental degradation, and social inequality.
The statement praised the initiative for aligning local governance with national development priorities, including the Environmental and Water Sector Strategic Development Plan and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The LOGNet is calling on the government to ensure transparent reporting and public access to sanitation performance data while building the capacity of MMDAs to implement sustainable sanitation solutions with clear daily targets.
It must also ensure active citizen participation in monitoring and feedback mechanisms, integration of sanitation metrics into broader development planning and strict enforcement of bylaws alongside incentive schemes for well-performing assemblies.
The statement urged all MMDAs to view this directive not as a burden but as an opportunity for transformation, improved governance, and enhanced visibility.
It further pledged to support the implementation process through technical assistance, community mobilisation, policy advocacy, and independent monitoring.
Additionally, LOGNet called on development partners and the private sector to invest in sanitation infrastructure and innovative solutions to make the government’s directive practical, impactful, and sustainable rather than mere political rhetoric.
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