This past weekend, I travelled to Kumasi to attend a funeral. As is often the case when travelling, I paid attention not only to the journey itself but also to the little details that shape one’s experience of public services. It was at Prempeh I International Airport that I encountered a lesson which, in my view, extends far beyond aviation and speaks directly to Ghana’s development agenda.
What impressed me most was not the terminal building or the modern facilities. Rather, it was the condition of the public washrooms. On my arrival, they were exceptionally clean.
When I returned to the airport several hours later for my departure, I noticed that they were being cleaned again. It became clear that cleanliness was not the result of good fortune or light patronage. It was the outcome of a deliberate system of continuous maintenance.
I commend the management and staff of Prempeh I International Airport for recognising a simple but often overlooked truth: public facilities remain clean only when they are cleaned continuously. A washroom that serves hundreds of passengers each day cannot be cleaned once every morning and expected to remain in good condition until nightfall. Cleanliness in a busy public facility is achieved through consistency, supervision and discipline rather than occasional effort.
That observation led me to reflect on one of Ghana’s most persistent challenges: our maintenance culture. As a nation, we have demonstrated that we are capable of undertaking major infrastructure projects. We have built roads, hospitals, schools, markets, bridges and airports that compare favourably with those elsewhere on the continent.
Yet our greatest weakness has often been preserving these investments after they have been commissioned. Far too often, maintenance is treated as a secondary concern rather than an integral part of infrastructure development. Once the excitement surrounding a new project fades, attention shifts elsewhere.
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