Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs, Ms Akua Sena Dansua, has said job creation, empowerment, education and health towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, were high on government’s "Better Ghana Agenda."   

She also reiterated government’s commitment to maintaining a clean environment.   

Ms Dansua, who is also Member of Parliament for North Dayi, was
speaking at the Volta Regional launch of the Eco Brigade Programme for Inland Water Bodies project, by Zoomlion Oil Services Limited (ZOIL), a subsidiary of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, a private waste management company, at Kpando.   

The occasion was under the theme: "Promoting the Coastal Heritage of Ghana".   

ZOIL, which is expected to recruit 10,000 youths, would clean
beaches, restore the coastal vegetation and promote reforestation of
banks of inland water bodies and wetlands.

Ms Dansua said the ZOIL project, which has the capacity for oil
spillage responses and beach cleaning facilities, was an initiative
that had come at the most opportune time.   

She expressed disappointment that the Ministry was not a major
stakeholder in planning the project and called for re-alignment and
mainstreaming of gender issues because women and children contributed to sustainable sanitation.   

Ms Dansua suggested that ZOIL and other private institutions in
fulfilling their social responsibilities to Ghanaians, should construct
clinics, markets and schools to bridge the development gap between
Northern part of Ghana and the Southern part.   

She said this would curb the rural-urban drift of the youth, especially from the Upper West, Upper East and Northern regions, in
search on non-existence jobs.   

Mrs Juliana Azumah-Mensah, Minister of Tourism, said the project
could assist in promoting the tourism industry and impact positively on environmental sanitation initiatives.   

She called on all stakeholders to come together and tackle environmental sanitation issues and commended public-private
partnership approach in dealing with the issues.   

Mr Joseph Z. Amenowode, Volta Regional Minister, expressed regret that the environment, especially wetlands and water bodies, were being turned into refuse and faecal dumping grounds.   

He said the ZOIL initiative was another attempt to rediscover the
dwindling potentials of rivers, lakes and lagoons and decimation of the beaches.   

Mr Amenowode called on chiefs, civil and community-based organisations, religious bodies, and Metropolitan, Municipal, and
District Assemblies to support efforts at making the environment clean and pledged the Volta Regional Coordinating Council’s support towards any such project.   

Mr Samuel Opoku-Manu, Manager of Zoil Eco Brigade, said recruits
would daily clean the landing points of ships and beaches from Ghana’s border with Togo to Cote D’Ivoire and plant trees, mangroves and coconuts at these areas.   

He said 320 fish landing sites and 190 coastal communities would
benefit from the project and commended collaborating Ministries.   

Togbega Dagadu IX, Paramount Chief of Akpini Traditional Area,
commended ZOIL for its efforts at clearing aquatic weeds such as
hyacinth on the Volta Lake and called on the recruits to working hard.   

Representatives of ministries of Environment, Science and Technology, Local Government and Rural Development, Food and
Agriculture, Energy, Information, Youth and Sports were at the launch.

GNA/DS