AMA To Conduct Massive Clean-Up Exercise On March 3 – Meanwhile There Is Way Too Much Filth In Accra That One Day Of Cleaning Can’t Sort Out

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has announced that there will be an intense clean-up exercise in all the 10 sub-metros on Saturday, March 3, 2018. The exercise is part of activities in commemoration of the National Sanitation Campaign Day. The Assembly has called on shops, markets and others engaged in commercial activities to stop all business and remain closed between 6 and 10 am on said day.

It has also called on residents, departments and agencies, markets, corporate entities, traditional authorities, opinion leaders, teachers, students and pupils to come out with their cleaning tools to clean their respective communities, places of work, schools and surroundings. This was announced in a statement signed by AMA Metro Co-ordinating Director, Sam Ayeh-Datey and copied to the Ghana News Agency On Thursday.

The statement said there will be a vigorous enforcement of the AMA (Environmental Sanitation Day) Bye-laws, 1995. The bye-laws direct transport operators to undertake a general cleaning of all lorry parks and bus stations with minimum movement of vehicles except in cases of emergency and security services.

“The AMA will appreciate it if residents, traders, and transport operators will seize this opportunity to clean their respective areas to assist the AMA to achieve the President’s vision of making Accra the cleanest city in Africa”, the statement said. It also said that Public Health Officers would be visiting households and other socio-economic entities to inspect their sanitation conditions and issue summons if necessary during this period.

I don’t know if the AMA is expecting a standing ovation for this initiative. Accra is drowning in filth and you choose just one day to organize a “massive clean-up” and expect us to be impressed. Must we wait for National Sanitation Day before we clean up our own environment? We want to see them cleaning up every day, not just on March 3.

If the President really is serious about making Accra the cleanest city in Africa, one day of so-called massive clean-up is not going to suffice. All these directives that have been sent out entreating people to clean their places of work, lorry stations, and surroundings should be a daily occurrence and AMA should be on the ground making sure they comply.

Selecting one day out of the year to clean up the filth that has accumulated for months is not the way to win any Cleanest City of the Year awards.