In an attempt to instill discipline in the city’s cleanup exercise, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has summoned store owners who disregarded closure orders to take part in Saturday’s National Sanitation Day activity in court.
According to Gilbert Ankrah, Public Relations Officer of the AMA, sanitation and public health officers swiftly responded to reports of non-compliance during the clean-up, stating that offenders will face legal action.
“What we noticed was that there were a couple of shop owners who had opened their shops, and quickly we had sanitation and public health officers moving in to deal with them.
“They were given summons and will be arraigned before court on Monday,” Ankrah said on the Channel One Newsroom on Saturday October 4.
The exercise, which took place across the country on October 4, was part of the government’s renewed sanitation campaign, led by the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs.
The Minister, Ahmed Ibrahim, joined the clean-up alongside the Mayor of Accra, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, and the Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II.
Ankrah described the public turnout as encouraging and said the AMA is continuing with mop-up operations in key areas.
The participation was quite impressive. If you look at how people came out to support the exercise, it was very successful,” he said.
“Currently, as I speak, we are doing a mop-up in the Agbogbloshie area, clearing some of the remaining debris. We will continue collections in some areas before Monday.”
He added that the Mayor of Accra has declared October as Sanitation Month, during which intensified clean-up operations will continue.
Meanwhile, Minister Ahmed Ibrahim during the exercise acknowledged logistical challenges, including a lack of dustbins and proper waste trucks, which he said were affecting sanitation efforts.
“Some assemblies are using tipper trucks to cart refuse. It’s unprofessional. As sector minister, I will take it up and ensure the cities get at least a few compactors,” he said, pledging government support to improve sanitation infrastructure.
He also cited poor street lighting as a hindrance to early-morning and night-time clean-ups and said his ministry is working with the Ministries of Energy and Roads to address the issue across all 16 regional capitals.