The Authority will coordinate a multi-sectorial and waste management activities while ensuring that the required legal framework for the achievement of a cleaner and healthier environment was put in place.

That is the way to achieve the vision of making Accra the cleanest city in Africa as government initiates moves to provide the needed support to win the battle against poor sanitation.

Dr Amponsah made the call at the opening of a two day meeting of the Africa Municipal and Local Government Union Networks (AMLGUN) held at Cape Coast.

The engagement afforded comrades from African countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, the chance to deliberate on pertinent sanitation challenges in member countries and the way to effectively tackle it.

The meeting, which centred on sanitation and waste management, was among others to help governments of member countries to identify challenges in waste management in respective communities, towns and cities and find possible pragmatic solutions to them.

Highlighting challenges confronting waste management in Ghana, he identified the existing complex governance structure between the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) and the Ministry of Sanitation as stifling the management of waste in the country.

Dr Amponsah urged Government to put environmental health and sanitation at the centre of all development policies and strategies, make improved sanitation a key performance indicator for Ministers, MMDCEs and all relevant government appointees.

He also called for the formulation of a national strategy for waste management adding that such a strategy must be more specific to provide direction.

He stressed the need for a more sustainable financing arrangement of solid waste and called for adequate support for the private sector to enable them function effectively to complement the effort of government.

Dr Evans Dzikum, President of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOSAG), lauded the concerted effort by sister Associations across Africa to holistically tackle the menace of insanitary conditions.

He urged the participants to go all out to implement the various resolutions that would be reached at the end of the deliberations to rid their countries of filth that resulted in loss of avoidable lives.

Dr Nana Ato Arthur, Head of Local Government Service of Ghana, called for support from all to effectively and efficiently tackle the sanitation menace in Africa saying it was a drawback to Government's efforts to achieve "Ghana beyond Aid."

The insanitary environment according to him also impeded gains made towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) six and drained resources of assemblies meant for development.