The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has fined about 40 traders at Rawlings Park a total of GH¢4,000 for failing to comply with a directive to suspend trading during the National Sanitation Day (NSD) clean-up exercise.
The traders were sanctioned on Monday after appealing to the Mayor of Accra, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, to intervene and allow them to resume business. They had continued trading despite prior notice to halt commercial activities and participate in the clean-up.
The NSD exercise forms part of the AMA’s broader efforts to improve environmental sanitation, promote public health, and encourage active participation from residents and businesses in keeping the city clean.
Mayor Allotey explained that the directive was not intended to punish traders but to ensure collective responsibility in maintaining cleanliness, especially in busy commercial hubs such as Rawlings Park, Makola, Agbogbloshie, and the Central Business District.
He noted that several public announcements were made ahead of the exercise, warning traders, shop owners, and hawkers to suspend activities, but some failed to comply.
According to him, the fines serve as a deterrent to others who may disregard future sanitation directives. He added that the clean-up exercise focuses on clearing refuse, desilting drains, and removing filth from trading areas—measures considered crucial, particularly as the rainy season approaches.
The Mayor also warned that poor sanitation practices, including indiscriminate waste disposal and choked drains, continue to pose serious public health risks and contribute to flooding.
He urged traders and residents to embrace the NSD as a routine civic responsibility and assured that the Assembly will continue to strictly enforce sanitation by-laws.
He further called on market leaders, transport operators, and the general public to support efforts to make Accra cleaner, safer, and healthier.
