'Unscrupulous' advertisers behind billboards - AMA

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has indicated that some faceless and unscrupulous advertisers are mounting giant billboards with pictures of political figures without their authorisation.

The city authority has, therefore, cautioned the general public and all advertisers to desist from such practices.

On Thursday June 15, some billboards in the capital with the images of the Greater Accra regional minister, Ishmael Ashitey, and the Chief Executive of the AMA, Mohammed Adjei Sowah, were removed following backlash on social media.

The huge billboards, with the portrait of the two officials with the accompanying inscription “Welcome to Accra, the Proposed Cleanest City in Africa” had been erected in various parts of the metropolis.

But a statement released and signed by the Public Relations Officer for the AMA on Friday June 16 said the billboards were raised indiscriminately by “unscrupulous advertisers”.

The statement said: “The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has noted with concern the indiscriminate citing of billboards in the metropolis without permits. We are aware that some unscrupulous and unidentified advertisers have been taking advantage of the existing system to mount billboards with images of political figures and later commercialise these sites.

“Examples of such illegal billboards were mounted at the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange and the Railway Station in the Central Business District in Accra, both of which have been pulled down. In the past two weeks, notices have been placed on all illegal billboards within the AMA and reconciliation had been concluded with all legal advertising industry players on the 12th of June, 2017 and removal of all unpermitted structures has begun to ensure sanity and safety of the general populace.

“This administration does not intend to run a firefighting and ambulance regime” and is therefore ensuring compliance with existing regulations even as it works to enhance the bye-laws. The administration will not cease its education and enforcement activities to deliver on the clean, smart, resilient and sustainable city agenda. We urge all to come on board and support the AMA to make the city pleasant, clean and liveable.”

It added: “The WhatsApp hotlines 0202464411/0202464446 announced by the Mayor a couple of weeks ago, are still active and citizens can WhatsApp pictorial information for necessary action by the AMA. As we commend all those who have and are using these hotlines to inform the assembly about illegal activities, we wish to assure the general public that the assembly will not countenance nor condone with perpetrators of such acts but will continue to enforce the rules and bye-laws to ensure that sanity prevails.”