For the first formal clean-up effort under the recently established National Sanitation Day, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has ordered that all stores and marketplaces in the city stay closed starting at 6 a.m. on Saturday, October 4, 2025.
Section 181 of the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936) requires the Assembly to observe the first Saturday of each month as a National Sanitation Day. The Assembly clarified in a statement signed by Mr. Gilbert Nii Ankrah, Head of Public Affairs, that the directive follows the President’s launch of the initiative and was in accordance with the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (Communal Labour) Bye-Laws, 2017.
The announcement claims that the activity is a component of the city’s efforts to purge the area of trash, advance public health, and strengthen collective accountability for a more resilient, safe, and clean Accra.
According to the statement, “This citywide exercise is being undertaken to reduce flooding, environmental health risks, and improve sanitation across the metropolis.”
The Assembly also revealed that members would plan and direct concurrent cleanup efforts throughout their electoral districts to ensure that the work is done in a coordinated and effective manner.
The operation would encompass all sub-metropolitan areas, with Agbogbloshie, Tuesday Market, Kwame Nkrumah Interchange and its surroundings, Kwasiadwaso, and Kaneshie Market anticipating more intensive work where teams would clear trash, desilt major drains, and maintain clean market precincts.
Residents, merchants, store owners, and other interested parties were requested by the AMA to closely adhere to the direction by actively taking part in the exercise and following the temporary closure.
It issued a warning that Public Health Officers would be stationed in various locations to keep an eye on adherence and implement the directive.
The statement cautioned that noncompliance is a crime that, upon summary conviction, carries a fine of up to 100 penalty units, a minimum sentence of 30 days and a maximum sentence of 6 months in jail, or both.
It further stated that persistent violations will result in a daily penalty.
Source: newsthemegh.com