The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), in partnership with the Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly, has commenced a major decongestion operation in the Central Business District (CBD) of the capital, as part of efforts to restore urban order and sanitation.
The exercise, which began today, Tuesday 20 May 2025, is targeting heavily congested zones around the AMA Head Office.
These include Kinbu Road to Railways, ECG Junction to the King Tackie Tawiah Statue, and Opera Square to Adabraka.
Speaking ahead of the operation on Monday, AMA Public Relations Officer Gilbert Ankrah outlined the scope of the clean-up, noting that enforcement will extend to Wato Junction through King Tackie Tawiah School to Cow Lane, as well as the environs of Accra City Hotel and Mövenpick Hotel.
“The plan is straightforward. All zones within the immediate vicinity of the AMA Head Office will be tackled,” Ankrah said.
AMA Chief Executive Michael Kpakpo Allotey visited street hawkers in the CBD on the eve of the exercise, urging voluntary compliance and community support.
“I am pleading with you to assist us in cleaning up the city and restoring order,” he said. “We all want a better and more organised environment, and cooperation is vital in achieving that goal.”
Mr. Allotey tied the decongestion effort to the city’s long-term development vision, particularly under the government’s planned 24-hour economy policy, which he said would eventually create new avenues for night-time trading.
“For now, I plead that we stay off the pavements as we carry out this important cleanup,” he added.
Tuesday’s exercise forms part of a wider sanitation and urban mobility strategy aimed at transforming Accra into a cleaner, safer, and more efficient capital.
The AMA has in recent weeks signalled a tougher stance on unauthorised street trading, particularly where it obstructs pedestrian movement and contributes to environmental degradation.
The city’s leadership has indicated that more zones will be targeted in subsequent phases of the decongestion campaign.
By: J. W Quarm
