The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has arrested twenty-one (21) traders for displaying and selling their wares on open drains at the Agbogbloshie Market in violation of the city’s sanitation and public health regulations.

The operation, which took place on Tuesday, was led by Public Health Officers from the Assembly as part of ongoing efforts to sustain cleanliness in the Agbogbloshie enclave following the National Sanitation Day exercise held a fortnight ago and the reintroduction of the Clean Ghana Campaign Train, a sustained citywide initiative to enforce hygiene and environmental health standards.

Prior to the enforcement exercise, the Mayor of Accra, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, had visited the market and announced a two-week intensive clean-up and desilting operation to restore hygiene and free the drains ahead of stricter enforcement.

Speaking after the exercise, the Metro Director of Public Health, Madam Florence Kuukyi, described Agbogbloshie Market as one of the largest and most critical food supply centres in Accra, noting that nearly 80 percent of food vendors and handlers across the city source their goods from the market.

She expressed concern that some traders had taken advantage of the market’s importance to engage in practices contrary to public health and sanitation regulations adding that the Assembly’s bye-laws strictly prohibit trading on streets and along drains.

“What we continue to observe is worrying, people have abandoned their stalls and locked their shops, only to display goods along the streets, this behaviour causes traffic congestion, creates unsanitary conditions, and exposes food items to contamination,” she said.

The Public Health Director cautioned that dust from moving vehicles often carries microorganisms that settle on exposed food items, leading to potential foodborne diseases and decried the habit of some traders who dispose of waste indiscriminately or push refuse into drains, saying such acts contribute to flooding when the rains come.

“Sanitation is a shared responsibility. It cannot be achieved by one person or one institution alone,” she stressed.

She announced that the Clean Ghana Campaign Train would continue across all sub-metros in the metropolis, describing it as an unannounced and continuous exercise until full compliance with sanitation laws is achieved.

“You will never know when the campaign train will arrive, so it’s best to always keep your surroundings clean and operate according to the rules,” she warned.

She emphasised that traders have been duly informed and sensitized by the Information Service Department (ISD) of the Assembly over the past weeks on this exercise and the essence of moving off the drains and streets.

The Director also revealed that future enforcement would extend to those who patronise roadside traders.

“If there are no buyers on the streets, the sellers will have no choice but to return to their stalls,” he said, explaining that this measure would help restore order and protect public health.

She reminded traders that the Assembly’s enforcement actions were not meant to punish but to protect lives, noting that illegal trading along roads and drains could result in accidents and injuries.

Madam Kuukyi announced that all food items confiscated during the operation would not be returned to offenders but donated to children’s homes within the city and called on traders as well as residents to support the Assembly’s efforts to make Accra a cleaner, safer and healthier city for everyone.

A palm nut seller at the market recounted how she once accidentally stepped on a tuber yam, which led to confrontation and applauded the ongoing exercise by the Assembly urging officials to keep coming around to ensure people moved back from the roads and drains.

She later expressed gratitude for the way the team was handling its duties and commended the team for their approach, adding that their regular presence would greatly improve orderliness at the market.

By: Gilbert Ankrah