Goshen/Gbetsile, Kpone Katamanso Municipality — Alliance for Empowering Rural Communities (AERC) commemorated World Environment Day 2026 with a community dialogue aimed at strengthening local action on environmental protection, sanitation and climate resilience in the Gbetsile community.
The event, held on Friday, 5 June 2026, brought together participants, including community members, women, youth, local leaders, assembly representatives, volunteers and AERC staff. The dialogue created a platform for residents to identify pressing environmental challenges affecting the community and propose practical solutions to address them.
The engagement formed part of AERC’s commitment to promoting community-led environmental action and empowering local residents to take ownership of issues that affect their health, livelihoods and environment.
During the session, participants discussed a range of environmental concerns, including poor waste management, indiscriminate dumping, open burning of waste, inadequate drainage systems, flooding, erosion, poor road conditions, water supply challenges, limited public sanitation facilities and inadequate street lighting.
Poor sanitation and waste disposal emerged as major concerns across the discussions. Community members noted that irregular waste collection, inadequate waste bins and limited disposal sites continue to contribute to indiscriminate dumping and blocked drains. These conditions, participants observed, increase the risk of flooding, create public health concerns and affect the overall cleanliness and safety of the community.
Participants also highlighted the need for stronger collaboration among residents, the Municipal Assembly, waste management service providers and other stakeholders. They emphasized that while improved infrastructure and services are necessary, sustainable environmental management also depends on behavioural change, public education and active citizen participation.
As part of the dialogue, participants examined the causes and effects of the environmental challenges identified and recommended practical actions. Following the discussions, the community agreed to prioritize regular clean-up exercises and sustained environmental education and sensitization activities.
Other proposed interventions included climate advocacy initiatives, community composting programmes and the revival of community structures that support sanitation, environmental management and collective action.
The dialogue resulted in increased awareness of local environmental challenges and strengthened community commitment to collective action. It also generated practical recommendations to support future engagement with local authorities and relevant stakeholders.
Key recommendations included improving waste collection services, increasing the availability of waste bins, investing in drainage infrastructure, promoting continuous environmental education and strengthening partnerships between community members, the Municipal Assembly and waste management service providers.
AERC noted that meaningful environmental protection begins when communities are informed, involved and empowered to lead solutions. The Gbetsile dialogue demonstrated the willingness of residents to contribute to environmental improvement when given the opportunity to participate in decision-making and local action planning.
The World Environment Day Community Dialogue ended with a shared commitment to move from conversation to action. Participants expressed appreciation to AERC for creating the platform and reaffirmed their readiness to support initiatives that promote a cleaner, safer and more resilient community.
For AERC, the engagement represents an important step in deepening community participation, strengthening local environmental leadership and advancing sustainable development in the Kpone Katamanso Municipality.
