Shop owners who defied sanitation day orders will face court on Monday – AMA

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has summoned several shop owners who defied closure orders during Saturday’s National Sanitation Day exercise, as part of efforts to enforce compliance with the city’s sanitation regulations.

According to citinewsroom.com report on October 4, 2025, the AMA’s Public Relations Officer, Gilbert Ankrah, said sanitation and public health officers swiftly responded to reports of non-compliance during the exercise.

He noted that the offenders will face legal action.

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“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. They were given summons and will be arraigned before court on Monday,” he said.

The nationwide clean-up exercise, held on October 4, was part of the government’s renewed sanitation campaign led by the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs.

The Minister, Ahmed Ibrahim, participated in the exercise in Accra alongside the Mayor, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, and the Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II.

Ankrah described public participation as impressive and said the AMA was continuing mop-up operations in key areas, including Agbogbloshie, to clear remaining debris.

He also announced that the Mayor of Accra has declared October as Sanitation Month to sustain the clean-up efforts.

Meanwhile, Ahmed Ibrahim acknowledged logistical challenges that hindered the exercise, citing inadequate dustbins and the use of tipper trucks instead of compactors for refuse collection.

He assured that the government will address the issue by providing the necessary equipment.

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Ahmed Ibrahim further noted that poor street lighting affects early-morning and night-time clean-up activities and said his ministry is working with the Ministries of Energy and Roads to resolve the problem across all 16 regional capitals.

MRA/EB