The participating countries include Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Cote D’Ivoire, Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar and the Philippines. The workshop is aimed at sharing practical experiences on the successful implementation of the Phase III of the Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme (PSUP), to improve living standards of slum dwellers.

The workshop also seeks to develop strategies to improve the living conditions of the urban poor and contribute to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 in Ghana and other sister countries implementing the PSUP.

The main objective of the PSUP programme is to improve on sanitation, housing, the economy and the environment of slum dwellers.  Hajia Alima Mahama, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development in a speech read on her behalf by Mr Kwasi Boateng Adjei, a Deputy Minister of the Ministry said, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) had been encouraged to adopt modern technological solutions to improve the current state of solid waste management, especially in urban areas.

She challenged the participants to come out with strategies and innovations for improving sanitation and solid waste management in the slums. “Coincidentally, this Capacity Building workshop occurs within ‘Urban October’, a month dedicated by the UN to create awareness on the opportunities presented by urbanization towards improving and delivering resilient cities and towns”

Hajia Mahama, who is also the Member of Parliament for Nalerigu/Gambaga said, “as the World celebrates this year’s World Habitat Day, under the theme ‘Municipal Solid Waste Management’ and the Urban October, it is hoped that this training will come out with strategies and innovations for improving sanitation and solid waste management in our slums”.

She also affirmed the premium placed on addressing sanitation issues in Ghana by the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and charged MMDAs in the country to prioritize sanitation management, particularly in the urban assemblies.

The Local Government Minister noted that the urban population in Ghana had rapidly grown from 32 per cent to 52 per cent in the last 20 years, and that, the Ministry had decided to recognize the New Urban Agenda and SDGs as social contracts with the people; committing to making their lives and settlements safer, resilient, inclusive and sustainable, without leaving anyone behind.

She said the New Urban Agenda seeks to achieve: “Sustainable urban development for social inclusion and ending poverty; sustainable and inclusive urban prosperity and opportunities for all and environmentally sustainable and resilient urban development”.

Hajia Mahama expressed gratitude to the UN-Habitat for their trust in Ghana to host the event.  She urged the participants to strengthen the sister network relationship, which the PSUP launched during the High-Level Political Forum in July 2018, in the USA, aimed at exchanging knowledge, experiences and practices that contribute to the success of the PSUP.

Meanwhile, the PSUP programme has developed the capacities of local, national and regional decision makers as well as relevant institutions and key urban stakeholders in slum upgrading, improvement, prevention and methods for community engagement, through the city-wide slum upgrading strategies and demonstration programmes.

The PSUP programme is being implemented in the Greater Accra Region by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly in three phases.   The Ghana programme, since 2008, has initiated a lot of activities under the supervision of the Ga Mashie Development Agency (GAMADA) and has brought significant transformation in the communities.

The Phase II & III saw the implementation of physical projects such as; the construction of a 4,050 square meter alleys/walk-ways and public spaces, renovation of Home Work Centre and a recreational facility for children in the communities.

“The others are community waste management, house-to-house waste collection, serving over 500 households, and the construction of 50 in-house toilets, in some selected households, among others”.