Cleanup exercises are affecting businesses

Accra, Aug. 15, GNA - Traders at the Accra Central Business Centre on Tuesday appealed to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to reduce the frequency of cleanup exercise because it was seriously affecting their sales.

They said: "The working period is too long and the last Saturday in the month is not conducive since workers usually receive their pay at that time to visit the markets."

Nana Adanse Twum, President of the Accra Central Shop Owners Association, who made the appeal in Accra, said: "We believe the essence of the exercise is to complement the effort of the AMA but it was also a fact that people contributed money for the cleaning of the city. "So to impose long hours for a voluntary work will kill the interest of people in subsequent exercises," he said. Nana Twum said this when the Association, which currently has membership of 1,202 traders, launched its first anniversary celebrations in Accra.

He said: "If the exercise takes place at the end of the month, it will definitely affect the trading communities that will be expecting to make sales at that time.

"This explains the dying tempo of participation in the exercise of late," he said.

He said if the sanitation byelaws of AMA were enforced, coupled with the contracting firms doing effective and efficient work, three hours, from 0700 hours to 1000 hours would be enough to get the exercise done.