This is the second in a series of reviews of manifesto promises on environment and sanitation ahead of the 2020 general elections. The first in this series reviewed the manifesto of Marricke Kofi Gane, an independent presidential aspirant. My focus in these articles is to provide a quick tour of what the candidate and party manifestos for election 2020 say about environment and sanitation, and then provide commentary on the promises and pledges.
In this article, I provide a brief introduction to the New Patriotic party (NPP) election 2020 manifesto as well as the key achievements in the area of environment and sanitation. Then I look at the programs and policies on environment and sanitation for the future and finally conclude with commentary on these pledges and what is missing from the manifesto.
The NPP launched its manifesto for the upcoming elections on August 22nd, 2020. Since then there has been a lot of commentary on various promises and pledges contained in the manifesto. Notably, the promise to build an airport in Cape Coast has divided opinions with discussion centered on the economic feasibility of the proposed airport project. There are several other promises in the over 200-page document including a pledge to “remove import duties on sanitary pads to improve health outcomes for girls while supporting local production to meet demand”.
The NPP has been the governing party since 2016. Its manifesto is therefore separated into two distinct parts. The first part focuses on what the party and government t has achieved since it was voted into power while the second part provides the programs and policies that will guide the government in its second term should Ghanaians give the NPP their backing. In keeping with the structure of the manifesto, I present the achievements of the government in the area of environment and sanitation first and then proceed to look at the promises and programs outlined for the future.
Environment and sanitation achievements from 2016 to Date:
• A total of 25,000 hectares have been planted under the Forestry Commission Youth-In-Afforestation Programme
• A total of 9 million trees have been planted along rivers under the Forestry Commission Youth-In- Afforestation Programme
• A partnership with Germany has been signed for the setting up of the plant (solar and biomas) at Atwiman
• Ghana is engaged in a swap arrangement with Switzerland and South Korea for the supply of solar panel and stoves for carbon credits
• The government through its “Toilets for All” program has built thousands of toilets across the country to end open defecation.
Environment and sanitation pledges for the future
The NPP manifesto lists various programs and activities that the party will undertake in specific sectors of the Ghanaian economy if voters retain them in power. However, there is no specific program or policy in the manifesto on environment and sanitation except that the party promises that “the provision of roads, highways, railways, water and sanitation infrastructure will continue to be a major focus of the next Akufo-Addo government”.
Comments on achievements and manifesto pledges
It is difficult for one to independently verify the achievements listed in the manifesto because there is little or no data available for such a verification exercise.
However, I am aware that the forestry commission has an ongoing afforestation program that seeks to restore some of the country’s degraded forests. The partnership agreements with Germany for the construction of biomass and solar plant in the country could help the country to provide clean energy as well as reduce solid waste. Similarly, the trading of carbon credits in exchange for solar panels and stoves could help reduce air pollution-related deaths in rural areas where firewood is the main source of cooking fuel.
The provision of toilets in various communities and households is crucial towards ending open defecation in Ghana. If properly implemented, such an intervention could have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of the Ghanaian populace by reducing the incidence of diseases such as cholera and diarrhoea.
The NPP manifesto is very thin on specific programs and policies to address sanitation and environmental issues in the future.
For instance, there is no clear policy on climate change in spite of the fact that the impacts of climate change are already being felt in various sectors of the Ghanaian society and economy. Ghana is a signatory to the Paris Climate Agreement and is therefore obliged to meet certain targets and commitments made under the agreement it signed in 2015.
Parties seeking to lead Ghana must be aware of these commitments and factor them into their manifestos. The NPP manifesto fails in this regard. Beyond getting solar panels and stoves from Switzerland and South Korea, what is the government’s policies towards research and development in solar technology as an alternative to fossil fuels? There are also no specific programs and policies towards reducing air pollution in our cities or to tackle deforestation.
Although the government claims to have done well in its fight on illegal mining (galamsey), the evidence from media reports suggest that the war is far from being won and therefore it was expected that the manifesto will provide some policies on how the so-called war on illegal mining will proceed in a second term of an NPP government. However, no such programs or policies exist in the manifesto. Could this be construed to mean that the government has given up on its war against illegal mining? If so, what will be the implication for our forests and rivers which have been worse affected by the activities of illegal miners?
The situation for sanitation is not very different from that of the environment. There are no clear policies to deal with the filth that has engulfed many cities in the country. The promise to make Accra the cleanest city in Africa is conspicuously missing from the manifesto.
What will be the role of the sanitation ministry going forward?
Poor drainage coupled with plastic-choked gutters are the main causes of flooding in major cities like Accra and Kumasi whenever there is heavy rainfall. Although flooding is used once in the manifesto, it is in relation to the spillage of the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso.
The government is said to be working to update and strengthen the National Environmental Protection Programme and the Environmental Action Plan as part of a National Plastic Action Partnership and the Global Plastic Action Partnership. However, one cannot tell the NPP’s specific policies on the plastic menace or how to deal with perennial flooding in our cities from reading this manifesto.
The New Patriotic Party is one of two parties with a realistic chance of winning election 2020. It is therefore disappointing that the party doesn’t appear to have carefully considered environment and sanitation issues as part of its programs and policies going into the next election and possibly a second term in government.
Admittedly, a manifesto cannot contain every plan or policy that a party will implement when voted into power. However, for a country that spends billions of cedis each year treating malaria patients, it is an egregious error for a major political party not to have concrete policies on sanitation in its manifesto. We can only hope that as the tempo of the campaigns increase, the NPP will come clear with further policy initiatives on environment and sanitation.
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Frederick Otu-Larbi
PhD Researcher and Environmental Activist
Lancaster University
Email: larbotu@gmail.com
Twitter: @larbi_fred