Shop owners to face court for ignoring sanitation day order – AMA

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has summoned several shop owners who defied closure orders during the National Sanitation Day exercise held on Saturday, October 4.

The offenders are expected to appear before court on Monday to answer for their actions.

Public Relations Officer of the AMA, Gilbert Ankrah, said sanitation and public health officers were quickly dispatched after reports of non-compliance were received from some business areas. “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,” he explained. “They were given summons and will be arraigned before court on Monday.”

The nationwide clean-up exercise, spearheaded by the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, is part of government’s renewed effort to promote environmental cleanliness and civic responsibility. The Minister, Ahmed Ibrahim, joined the exercise in Accra alongside the Mayor, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, and the Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II.

Mr. Ankrah described the turnout in the capital as impressive. “The participation was quite encouraging. If you look at how people came out to support the exercise, it was very successful,” he said. He added that mop-up operations were continuing in areas such as Agbogbloshie, where debris collection and waste clearance were still underway.

He also revealed that the Mayor of Accra has declared October as Sanitation Month, during which intensified clean-up and waste management activities will take place across the city.

Meanwhile, Minister Ahmed Ibrahim admitted that sanitation efforts continue to face logistical challenges, including the lack of compact waste trucks and dustbins. “Some assemblies are using tipper trucks to cart refuse. It’s unprofessional,” he noted. “As sector minister, I will take it up and ensure the cities get at least a few compactors.”

He also pointed to poor street lighting as a hindrance to early morning and night-time cleaning and said his ministry is engaging the Ministries of Energy and Roads to address the problem across all 16 regional capitals.