He also urged them to intensify sensitisation on the initiative by involving workers, national service persons, market women and other stakeholders to support them in the exercise.

About 10,000 people are expected to hit the streets as part of the sensitisation programme before the commencement day.

“From today, all 29 assemblies in the Greater Accra Region must come up with their programmes to intensify awareness of the initiative. You must involve some national service persons and persons from the Youth Employment Agency to help educate the public.

“You must also write to all businesses in your respective areas to create awareness a week before the exercise. We know the media are waiting patiently to see what we will come up with,” the minister added.

Event

Mr Quartey was addressing MMDCEs and their technical teams in a meeting on strategies adopted to enforce the implementation of the initiative in Accra yesterday.

The technical teams of the 29 MMDAs in the region presented their respective strategies, including the successes and the challenges they encountered in piloting the sanitation bye-law.

Mr Quartey commended the MMDAs for a good work done during the pilot stage and urged them not to relent in their effort.

“I have been monitoring the pilot exercise and I must say that I am impressed. I want to commend you all for a good work done,” he said.

Logistics

Addressing the media after the meeting, the minister said all relevant logistics, resources and personnel needed to enforce the bye-law had been put in place.

He added that over 600 city response teams who had been screened would soon be trained to start the enforcement exercise.

“As we speak, hopefully next week they should be on their way to the training ground and it is expected that by the end of February, they would be back. But in the meantime, the assemblies and other stakeholders will hit the streets to sensitise the public.

“We don’t want it to be like this exercise is being forced on people; we want them to embrace it and make it part and parcel of their daily lives,” Mr Quartey added.