The Ellembelle District Assembly, in collaboration with the Office of the Member of Parliament and Ghana Gas, has launched a Coastal Brigade initiative to improve sanitation, protect marine ecosystems and create employment opportunities in coastal communities across the district.
The initiative, which will be fully funded by Ghana Gas and implemented by the District Assembly, is expected to engage 250 people, approximately 90 per cent of whom will be women, to undertake beach-cleaning activities across 20 communities.
Speaking at the launch, the Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Gas, Ms. Judith Adjobah Blay, said the initiative reflected the company’s belief that a healthy environment was essential for thriving communities.
She explained that the programme was not entirely new, tracing its origins to an earlier beach-cleaning initiative introduced under the late former President John Evans Atta Mills.
Ms. Blay said the Ghana Gas board had approved funding for the programme, which the company intended to sustain annually and potentially extend to other coastal communities in the Western Region.
She noted that Ghana Gas would provide the funding and necessary logistics, while the Ellembelle District Assembly would be responsible for implementing the programme.
Ms. Blay said the initiative was also designed to improve livelihoods, particularly among women, while protecting the coastal environment.
She disclosed that Ghana Gas was undertaking other empowerment programmes in the district, including training women in soap production. The company plans to establish a factory and create a ready market for their products by incorporating locally produced soap into its cleaning contracts.
She also announced plans to introduce a greenhouse vegetable farming project on a one-acre plot of land to support young men and women interested in mechanised farming and agribusiness.
The Member of Parliament for Ellembelle, Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, welcomed the initiative, describing it as an important intervention to protect the district’s marine and coastal ecosystems while providing employment for residents.
He said communities hosting the country’s gas processing facility deserved to benefit from meaningful development projects, given their strategic importance to Ghana Gas’s operations.
Hon. Armah-Kofi Buah commended Ghana Gas for responding to the assembly’s request for support, noting that the programme would address environmental concerns while creating jobs for residents.
He urged the beneficiaries to take their responsibilities seriously, stressing that they were expected to do more than clean the beaches and should also become advocates for proper sanitation in their communities.
He warned that workers who failed to perform their duties would not be paid, adding that supervisors would monitor attendance and ensure that the required work was completed.
The MP further expressed the hope that the number of beneficiaries would increase from 250 to 500 next year, with the programme eventually extended to other districts.
He said the high demand for employment opportunities in Ellembelle might require additional support and called for continued collaboration among Ghana Gas, the District Assembly and his office to expand the initiative.
The Ellembelle District Chief Executive, Hon. Joseph Agyekum, said each of the 250 beneficiaries was expected to receive GH¢700 under the programme.
He added that a coordinator and a deputy coordinator would supervise the workers, while Ghana Gas would provide sanitation equipment, including reflective jackets, wheelbarrows, shovels and rakes.
Hon. Agyekum expressed optimism that sustained implementation of the initiative would significantly improve the cleanliness of coastal communities and make them more attractive to tourists within the next one to two years.
He called for cooperation among the assembly, Ghana Gas, traditional authorities and residents to ensure the programme’s success.
The Coastal Brigade initiative is expected to contribute to improved sanitation, environmental protection and job creation in the Ellembelle District, while supporting efforts to make coastal communities cleaner and more attractive for tourism.
Source: Nana Fynn
