Two days after taking office, the Mayor of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Michael Kpakpo Allotey, pledged to reset Accra, focusing on orderliness and sanitation in the Central Business District (CBD).

As part of efforts to keep up with his pledge, his outfit has started installing new public waste bins across the Central Business District (CBD) of Accra to encourage responsible waste disposal among residents.

The initiative follows the donation of 20 public waste bins by Duraplast on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, as part of the company’s commitment to environmental sustainability and national development.

The bins were strategically placed along the Kinbu to CMB stretch, a busy commercial corridor known for high pedestrian and vehicular traffic, where waste generation is particularly high.

In a speech during the installation today, the AMA boss, Mr Allotey, stated that, “These bins are meant to serve traders, pedestrians, and roadside operators. They are not for household refuse. Anyone caught dumping household waste into them will be arrested and prosecuted under the law.”

He warned that any person caught dumping household refuse in public bins would be arrested and prosecuted under the law.

Mayor Allotey assured the public that sanitation workers and trucks would be deployed daily to collect waste from the bins and maintain cleanliness in the city. He also called on corporate institutions to support the initiative, noting that maintaining a clean city requires collective effort and cooperation.

During the presentation of the bins, Executive Director of Duraplast, Ms Mireille Hitti, highlighted that sanitation remains a critical challenge in Accra. She stated that providing waste disposal infrastructure encourages responsible habits, improves public health, and fosters civic pride.

A major decongestion exercise began yesterday, Sunday, February 1, in the Central Business District (CBD) in Accra by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) as part of efforts to restore order, protect pedestrian safety, and regulate street trading.

The exercise, which began around 4:00 a.m., targeted particular zones, starting with the re-demarcation of approved areas under the Red Line Policy.

The Red Line Policy is a city management rule used by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to control street trading and pedestrian movement in the Central Business District.

Under the policy, a red line is drawn to create boundaries between permissible trading zones and no-trading areas on pavements and roads.

AMA officials marked sections around the Liberty House branch of GCB Bank PLC at Kantamanto, extending along the pavement toward the Greater Accra Regional Police Command, as no-trading zones.

The authorities also embarked on a cleaning exercise, during which gutters were cleared, stones and other obstructions on roads and walkways were removed, and piled-up trash at various points was cleared.

During a media engagement, the Mayor of Greater Accra, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, stated that his outfit had earlier engaged traders extensively ahead of the exercise.

He noted that although a decongestion exercise was carried out months before the current one, with demarcated areas set aside for traders, authorities allowed them to trade in unauthorised zones, including pavements, during the festive season to enable them to make the most of the period. However, now that the festivities are over, order has to be restored.

He explained that the city could no longer permit the sale of goods on roads and certain pavements, describing the situation as a major contributor to congestion and disorder in the business district.

“With the festive season over, we must restore order and ensure trading takes place in appropriate locations,” he said.

A major concern expressed by the Mayor was traders’ refusal to use spaces within designated market areas in the business centre, opting instead to move onto streets and walkways to sell their goods, which causes congestion and disorderliness in Accra.

“The Assembly has engaged traders extensively ahead of this exercise and has allocated approved spaces for them to operate. Unfortunately, many have refused to use these designated market spaces and have instead moved onto streets and walkways to sell their goods, which causes congestion and disorderliness in Accra’s Central Business District,” he expressed.

Mr Allotey stressed that the decongestion exercise was not a one-day operation but a sustained programme that would run throughout the year as part of efforts to make Accra cleaner and better organised.

The exercise follows the Mayor's announcement on January 22, at a press conference in Accra and later affirmed by the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Ocloo, on January 27, followed by further warnings and demolitions on January 30, 2026.

This exercise marks about the third decongestion exercise conducted by the current Mayor and other stakeholders.