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Question: Waste disposal and management are major problems all over the country. If you looked at the 2000 Population and Housing Census you would be shocked that between 40-80% of the population use free range for disposal of solid waste. What solutions will the government under your leadership provide to deal with waste disposal, not only just waste disposal but management of waste? Prof. Mills: It is quite clear that government has abandoned its responsibility and this has been relegated into the laps of the Municipal Assemblies and District Assemblies. But Government must take control of the situation. When it comes to waste management, everywhere you need the right kind of expertise. I will make sure I put together a team which will look at the waste management problems in our country. If it has to be decentralised as is being done, who is supervising it? You go to Accra and those who are in charge of waste management complain that they are not being paid. If you look at the rural areas the Water and Sanitation Agency doesn’t have enough funds. The District Assemblies are not budgeting enough and it is only because nobody is looking over their shoulder. In those days, you know ten, fifteen years ago, you can even refer to the colonial times; there were people who went round to ensure that the sanitation rules were enforced. I will say that I will personally ensure that we have a waste management unit, which will go round and make sure that it has the right kind of expertise. If you decide that you were going to relegate it to the Municipal Assemblies or District Assemblies, there must be proper supervision. University of Science and Technology has expertise in this exercise. To what extent have we really involved them with biogas, and all those things? I think that this is the opportunity for us to make use of the expertise that we have in this country. And let us also enforce the laws. If we don’t enforce the laws people are going to break the sanitation rules with impunity. 50
Question: According to the 2000 Population and Housing Census and subsequent Agric Report the three Northern Regions remain the poorest in the country. What are your plans to address this unacceptable situation? Prof. Mills: I won’t go for any fanciful ideas. I will do what is practical. School feeding is free in these schools but sometimes the schools are closed down for a very long time because the grants are not coming. I will make sure I give them the grants. UDS has problems; we will have to solve the UDS problems, the Tamale Hospital will have to be upgraded to a Teaching Hospital, UDS must be given proper funding. The three northern regions depend very much on agriculture. Instead of importing rice we could very well make the northern region the granary. It used to be the case sometime ago. What they need is very little – water-harvesting, giving them the necessary inputs. Cotton industry has collapsed. With the shea nut industry, the women have a lot of problems. We will have to process the shea nut. We have to open up the country. Coming to the Northern Region is not easy. The eastern corridor, the western corridor, the central corridor and even from Tamale up to Tumu, we have to open up the country. When we do this, we will find that people will come in and will invest in these areas. But unless we do that we’re going to have a big problem on our hands. There are many areas which do not have electricity. Electricity must be extended there. For those who have water problems, those problems must be solved. I will make sure that effort is made to get a separate authority which is going to look at the development of the northern regions. They have enough potential already. It is only a question of harnessing the potential that they have and concentrate on making the things work. Question: Urban planning is chaotic in this country, whilst in the rural areas, erosion and other environmental factors are destroying the homes of our vil- 51
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Delivering On Your Promises: IEA Gh
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The Institute of Economic Affairs (
Page 5 and 6: PREFACE The Institute of Economic A
Page 7 and 8: 1. AN EVENING ENCOUNTER WITH PRESID
Page 9 and 10: consider this unacceptable. Even mo
Page 11 and 12: HIV/AIDS. Indeed, about a week ago
Page 13 and 14: ated with its production and distri
Page 15 and 16: ing glory to the efforts by the GNP
Page 17 and 18: QUESTION AND ANSWER SECTION Matilda
Page 19 and 20: youth, who are the future. Here we
Page 21 and 22: Now you ask about the language we a
Page 23 and 24: teaching will no longer be taken in
Page 25 and 26: It tells you that where you have a
Page 27 and 28: Ernest Owusu Aboagye, Pharmaceutica
Page 29 and 30: their full dignity. We have a lot o
Page 31 and 32: of you come to me under cover of da
Page 33 and 34: Harry Williams: Prof. you spoke ext
Page 35 and 36: Akwasi Sarpong, JOY FM: Prof Mills,
Page 37 and 38: know that it is not the state’s d
Page 39 and 40: Indeed we have cases where there is
Page 41 and 42: what you are saying. That is what m
Page 43 and 44: teachers, the teacher is at the cen
Page 45 and 46: issue if we think that NHIS alone i
Page 47 and 48: get enough. We’ve already said th
Page 49 and 50: As a young lecturer I used to think
Page 51 and 52: • We look at the judiciary - is t
Page 53 and 54: Dr. Nduom that the time has come wh
Page 55: Prof. Mills: I have two. I would ha
Page 59 and 60: Prof. Mills: I will say that afford
Page 61 and 62: Question: You have each touched on
Page 63 and 64: There is the perception that we are
Page 65 and 66: with you. You may have heard our di
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