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The Accra Metropolitan Assembly’s (AMA) decongestion campaign is set to resume on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, following what city officials have described as a successful Day 1 of the operation to clear street traders from major thoroughfares in Ghana’s capital.
Accra Mayor Michael Kpakpo Allotey, addressing the press on Tuesday, reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to a sustained and aggressive push to reclaim pavements and roads occupied by traders in the Central Business District (CBD).
“This exercise is not a nine-day wonder; we are on the street till we make sure that the roads are clear. We are not done,” he said, adding that the task force will move to Circle and Kaneshie in subsequent phases.
Despite some resistance from affected traders, sections of the trading community have welcomed the intervention. One store owner stated:
“Thank you for the exercise. God bless you. These people are killing business. We rent expensive stores and pay AMA bills.”
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Ocloo, issued a stern warning to traders tempted to return to the cleared streets. She announced fines between GHC1,500 and GHC2,000 for violators and indicated that a 24-hour task force will be deployed for continuous monitoring.
“We are going to draw red lines. When you cross them, you pay. So next time, you won’t cross the line,” she stated.
Backing the mayor’s efforts, the Greater Accra Market Association (GAMA) also expressed full support for the exercise, calling it a necessary step to restore order in the city’s commercial zones.
The operation is being carried out in collaboration with the Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly and is a key component of President John Dramani Mahama’s broader agenda to improve urban mobility and reduce congestion in the capital.
The first phase of the operation targeted locations including:
- Kinbu Road to Railways
- ECG Junction to the King Tackie Tawiah Statue
- Opera Square to Adabraka
Ahead of the Tuesday launch, the mayor held dialogues with traders, appealing to them to vacate the streets voluntarily.
The crackdown also comes in response to growing frustration from transport operators, who recently threatened a nationwide strike over the unchecked expansion of roadside trading, citing safety and traffic flow concerns. Although the May 19 strike threat was not carried out, operators remain vocal about the risks posed by trading on roads and pavements.
Under the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2180), such activities are prohibited, and city authorities are now under pressure to enforce these provisions rigorously.
With renewed political backing and institutional resolve, the AMA’s decongestion campaign appears poised for long-term implementation, potentially reshaping the urban landscape of Accra’s bustling commercial zones.
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