The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has fined six food vendors for violating directives on the National Sanitation Day (NSD) exercise, fining them a total of GH¢1,100.
The vendors, who were operating in Okaishie and in front of the UTC, Makola Mall, in the Central Business District of Accra, were apprehended during the September edition of the exercise held last Saturday.
Officials of the AMA who were deployed to monitor compliance found the vendors conducting active business during the hours designated for the sanitation exercise, instead of participating in the clean-up activities.
The National Sanitation Day, which was reintroduced this year by the Government of Ghana, is observed on the first Saturday of every month, with all residents, businesses and institutions expected to suspend activities and take part in cleaning their communities, workplaces and surroundings from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
The AMA, in a statement after the exercise, said the six vendors were fined in accordance with its bye-laws after they were found to have flouted the directive to close shops and participate in the exercise.
According to the Assembly, enforcement teams patrolling the Central Business District encountered the food vendors selling while other traders had complied with the directive to clean their immediate environments.
They were subsequently processed and fined GH¢1,100 collectively. The Assembly said the sanction is intended to serve as a deterrent and to reinforce compliance with sanitation regulations, especially in the central business district where sanitation challenges remain acute due to high commercial activity.
AMA Warns Against Non-Compliance
The Mayor of Accra, Hon. Michael Kpakpo Allotey, has on several occasions cautioned that the Assembly will not hesitate to sanction individuals and businesses who fail to comply with sanitation bye-laws, particularly during National Sanitation Day.
He noted that the success of the NSD depends on collective participation, and that it is unacceptable for some persons to continue with business as usual while others devote time to cleaning the environment.
“The National Sanitation Day is not a holiday for some to make extra sales. It is a national call to duty. When we all close for a few hours to clean our city, we prevent floods, we prevent diseases and we make Accra liveable.”
Hon. Allotey
The AMA said similar enforcement exercises will continue in subsequent editions of the NSD and urged all traders, shop owners and food vendors to adhere strictly to the directives.
The September Edition Records High Turnout
The September edition of the NSD recorded significant participation across various parts of the Metropolis, including markets, lorry stations and residential areas.
Personnel of the AMA, together with Zoomlion Ghana Limited, market leaders, youth groups and security services, took part in desilting choked drains, sweeping streets, clearing refuse and evacuating waste from major markets including Makola, Okaishie and Agbogbloshie.
In some communities, residents were seen weeding overgrown areas, cleaning their frontages and clearing plastic waste from gutters. The AMA said it collected several tonnes of waste during the four hour exercise, which were transported to designated disposal sites.
The Background to National Sanitation Day
The National Sanitation Day was first introduced in 2014 to address Ghana’s poor sanitation situation and promote community-led cleaning. After a period of non-observance, the government reintroduced the initiative in 2025 as part of a renewed national agenda to tackle sanitation challenges, flooding and the outbreak of sanitation related diseases such as cholera and typhoid.
The reintroduced National Sanitation Day places emphasis on mandatory participation, strict enforcement, and the involvement of traditional authorities, faith based organizations, schools and civil society groups.
The Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development has directed all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to lead the exercise in their respective jurisdictions, enforce bye-laws and provide regular reports on compliance.
The indiscriminate disposal of waste, particularly in Accra’s commercial centres, continues to be a major cause of perennial flooding and public health risks.
The AMA has therefore intensified public education, urging traders and residents to store waste properly, desist from dumping refuse into drains and actively take part in the monthly clean up.
The Assembly expressed appreciation to traders, residents and organizations that complied and participated in the September edition, and called for even greater cooperation in the October edition.
The Assembly further stated that it will continue to deploy enforcement teams across the metropolis to monitor compliance, stressing that anyone found violating the sanitation bye-laws during the National Sanitation Day and beyond will be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law.
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