He said this would help the districts and the regions channel their limited resources to other sectors that needed support in order to enhance development.

Mr Darko-Mensah said about 50 per cent of the District Assembly's fund in the region was used annually to tackle the sanitation problem, a situation he bemoaned, was crippling the districts and for that matter, the region.

Addressing the congregation of the Church of Pentecost to climax the church's Easter convention in Takoradi, Mr Darko-Mensah said, "We cannot eat and throw the rubbish into the gutters or sweep our houses and dispose off the waste into drainage systems for the government to then allocate monies, which could have been used for other developmental projects, to clear it".

He said more often than not, Ghanaians preferred touring other countries because they see those countries as nice and beautiful, adding that it was time the region made conscious efforts to solve its sanitation challenges in order to boost its tourism sites.

"It is said that the best comes from the west. We should then strive towards making our towns and cities clean, in order to make our region a model for proper sanitation and clean environment, so as to attract foreigners to boost development," he said.

He urged Christians and citizens to let the resurrection of Christ bring forth positive change in attitudes, especially towards sanitation issues in the region, to make it a better place to live.

"This is why it is important for opinion and church leaders to step in and help solve this situation.

"I plead with you to constantly remind members about the importance of good sanitation and proper hygiene even if it's not part of the programme outline," he added.

He however applauded the church for its numerous sanitation programmes to complement Government's efforts in eradicating the canker and called on other churches and religious bodies to take up this mantle.