The Ministry of Sanitation and Hygiene in Côte d’Ivoire has a new ally in its fight against insalubrity. The head of this ministerial department, Anne Désirée Ouloto, signed a partnership agreement on the 6th of March 2020 with the Managing Director of the Water Distribution Company of Côte d’Ivoire (SODECI) Ahmadou Bakayoko. Through this agreement, this company undertakes to work alongside the ministry in the framework of the “Grand ménage” (cleaning up) operation currently underway in the country. It is worth noting that the operation “Grand ménage” was established on March 4, 2017, by the government of Côte d’Ivoire.
The objective is to encourage every inhabitant to clean up their daily living environment. The government recommends, for example, cleaning, weeding and cleaning gutters. “We are counting on the support of SODECI to help us raise awareness among the population about the need to adopt responsible behaviour. Very soon we will move on to repression,” says Anne Désirée Ouloto, Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Sanitation and Hygiene.
Activities related to Operation “Grand ménage” in the country usually take place on the first Saturday of each month. The 37th edition of this operation was celebrated on March 14, 2020, in the city of big mills and in some streets of Marcory, a municipality in the city of Abidjan, the capital of Côte d’Ivoire. The activities were carried out around the theme “With Sodeci, let’s take up the challenge of sustainable sanitation”.
SODECI on the front line with other sanitation companies
The company, in a joint action with the Ivorian Ministry of Sanitation and Hygiene, the National Waste Management Agency (Anaged), the National Office of Sanitation and Drainage (Onad) and the company Eco Eburnie, a national subsidiary of the Portuguese company Mota-Engil, in charge of waste collection and pre-collection, surveyed on March 14, 2020, the streets of the city of large mills and some municipalities of Marcory. The members of SODECI carried out sweeping, grass removal and cleaning of the gutters. They also made the population aware of the importance of avoiding illicit connections to evacuate wastewater.
The 38th edition of the “Grand ménage” operation should be held on Saturday, April 11, 2020.
Inès Magoum