Accra Mayor engages youth groups, courts support to develop and make Accra clean

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has engaged with youth groups across the city to highlight its programs, activities, and achievements under the leadership of Mayor Elizabeth Kwatsoe Tawiah Sackey since her tenure began in October 2021.

The event, aimed at fostering transparency and collaboration, brought together students from Ghana Telecom University College (GTUC), Central University, University of Professional Studies Accra (UPSA), University of Ghana Main Campus Distance Learning, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), bloggers, and youth activists, among others.

Among the key achievements outlined during the dialogue, the AMA in the education sector completed a three-story, 18-unit classroom block at Independence Avenue Cluster of Schools and a two-unit KG block at Bubiashie 1 Basic School.

Other completed projects include a single-story Accra City Childcare Centre at Old Fadama, a three-story, nine-unit classroom block for Bishop Mixed School, and a 14-seater W/C toilet with a mechanized borehole at various schools, as well as the declaration of Accra as the 2023 World Book Capital.

In the area of revenue mobilization, the AMA re-evaluated and collected data on 8,513 businesses, successfully piloted a centralized digital platform for revenue collection in Ashiedu Keteke, and established a partnership with Smart City for vehicle parking management.

Special initiatives under Mayor Sackey highlighted during the dialogue include the Economic Women Empowerment Summit held in July 2023, the Mayor’s Street Sweepers Special Initiative, which increased the number of sweepers from 34 to 200, and public-private partnerships for redevelopment projects at Rawlings Park, Makola No. 2 Market, and Opera Square, as well as a social insurance and NHIS scheme registration for informal waste workers.

Health sector achievements mentioned in the dialogue include the commissioning of a two-story maternity theatre block for Kaneshie Polyclinic, the donation of medical equipment to various hospitals, the upgrading of Mamprobi Polyclinic to a hospital, and an ongoing Agenda 111 government hospital project at Kaneshie.

Identified efforts in water and sanitation also include the construction of boreholes at Bukom, 10-seater toilet facilities at Bubuashie, Mamprobi, and Agbogbloshie, and the daily evacuation of 1,200 metric tonnes of solid waste, among others.

Other development projects initiated by the AMA under the leadership of Mayor Sackey were the completion of electoral area projects such as concrete cover slabs, metal grating, streetlights, disaster prevention through the GARID project, and public health initiatives, an asphaltic overlay of 19.35 km of roads, and the establishment of a sanitation court.

Speaking to journalists after the event, she emphasized the crucial role of the youth in the city's quest towards development and cleanliness while assuring the AMA's commitment to making Accra a cleaner city.

"The youth are the forerunners of the country, and their informed involvement brings peace, hence the importance of communicating my achievements over the years," she said.

Mayor Sackey touched on the revenue digitalization agenda and revealed that, after several dialogues, traders have agreed to participate in the new system, which aims to streamline revenue collection.

She informed the youth and residents of Accra to prepare for a massive cleanup exercise spearheaded by the GARCC ahead of the Homowo festivities.