Kigali in Rwanda is said to be one of the cleanest cities in the world. Rwanda has achieved this status through education, discipline and enforcement of laws.

Ghana has all the laws it needs to be a clean country. What is needed is the political will. As a consequence of non-enforcement of laws, many parts of the country are noisy and dirty.

Beer bars, vehicles with mounted loudspeakers, churches and mosques compete to inflict noise pollution on residents. Although noise pollution has an impact on health, the authorities appear unwilling to robustly enforce laws and protect the health of citizens. Thankfully the President of the National Spinners Association of Ghana and his team are working hard to bring some sanity.

A simple solution is to ensure that churches and mosques have sound proof premises if they must use loudspeakers. This will ensure that their right to worship does not negatively impact on the right of residents to peace and quiet. Shops should not be allowed to have powerful loudspeakers in front of their premises as the noise is bound to go outside the confines of their property.

There are all night church sessions outside Ghana, but regulations are such that the whole neighbourhood is not kept awake. Likewise, the whole neighbourhood is not woken up by call to worship from mosques.

Regarding a clean environment, Nelplast Ghana Limited, a local plastic recycling company at Ashaiman, is helping to make Accra a clean city by recycling plastic waste into building materials such as bricks.??Accra will become a cleaner city if Government provides the necessary infrastructure.??

In addition, more emphasis should be placed on sanitary education and enforcement of laws.?? A culture of caring for where you live should be developed through schools, places of worship and in work places. Perhaps competitions could be introduced to motivate residents to keep a clean environment.