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Kofi Bentil criticises AMA clean-up directive
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Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has criticised the Accra Metropolitan Assembly’s directive requiring residents and traders to close their shops and participate in the August National Sanitation Day clean-up exercise.
His comments followed the Assembly’s announcement that all trading activities should cease from 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on Saturday, August 1, 2026, while residents take part in cleaning activities across the metropolis.
In a statement posted on social media, Mr Bentil described the approach as “absurd” and argued that sanitation officials were shifting their responsibilities onto the public.
“The people whose job it is to clean but have failed are asking their employers who have paid them to clean to rather leave their jobs and professions to come and do the work they’ve paid these officials to do,” he stated.
He contended that the exercise creates additional problems and reflects poor leadership and planning.
“This absurdity which only creates more problem goes on because our leaders think backwards,” he added.
Mr Bentil further stated that Ghana would need a different approach to sanitation management, saying, “When we finally wake up and get serious, this silly approach will stop.”
The AMA has maintained that the exercise is aimed at improving environmental sanitation, preventing flooding and protecting public health.
The Assembly also warned that persons who fail to participate or who engage in trading activities during the clean-up period could face arrest, fines or prosecution under its sanitation bye-laws.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Dome Kwabenya Member of Parliament (MP), Elikplim Akurugu, on Tuesday, July 28, 2026 toured ongoing road rehabilitation projects in the constituency to assess the progress of work.
The tour was undertaken with the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Ga East, officials of the Ga East Municipal Assembly and engineers.
The team inspected ongoing works on the Grand Star Hotel-Nama Road at Musuku, the Ashongman Pure Water Road and road projects at Taifa.
Speaking after the inspection, Ms Akurugu said the visit was to monitor the projects after sod was cut a few months ago.
She said she was impressed with the progress made by the contractors, noting that some of the projects were about 80 per cent complete.
According to her, drainage and gutter construction had largely been completed, leaving the asphalt surfacing to be done.
“We are impressed with the work going on,” she said, while commending the contractors for the quality of work.
The MP, however, expressed concern over delays caused by utility service providers, particularly the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Ghana Water Limited.
She explained that the relocation of electricity poles, transformers and water pipelines had delayed some aspects of the road works.
Ms Akurugu said the Ga East Municipal Assembly would engage the service providers to help speed up the projects.
She thanked residents for their patience during the construction period and assured them that the temporary inconvenience would soon give way to better roads.
The MP said she would continue to lobby for more road projects to improve movement within the constituency.
The Roads Engineer of the Ga East Municipal Assembly, Daniel Ochere, said the inspection formed part of the assembly’s routine monitoring of the projects.
He said the contractors were working according to schedule and were expected to complete the projects within the 18-month contract period.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Lauritz Knudsen Electrical and Automation, a unit of Schneider Electric, has deepened its investment in Ghana with a showcase of new low voltage switchgear, industrial and agricultural automation solutions.
The company with over 70 years of engineering experience, brought together partners, distributors and customers at Nova Plus in Accra to unveil its expanded portfolio tailored for the Ghanaian market.
The move comes as Ghana prioritises grid modernisation and industrialisation.
Power outages cost the economy an estimated $2.1 billion annually, about two per cent of Gross Domestic Product affecting real estate, agriculture, manufacturing and other sectors.
The Head of Strategy, Business Development, Pricing and LK MEA International Operations, Dallal Slimani said the company’s technology was built to suit Ghana’s environment.
“Our low voltage switchgear is engineered to keep critical operations running through exactly the kind of instability Ghanaian businesses deal with every day, whether that’s a mining camp running off-grid or a hospital that cannot afford a single second of downtime,” she said, adding that “We’re bringing technology refined through years of working alongside our partners here.”
According to her, Lauritz Knudsen solutions were critical across mining, oil and gas, manufacturing, healthcare, data centers, and real estate in hubs like Tema and Accra.
She said her outfit expected demand to grow as the Energy Commission rolled out regulations for EV charging infrastructure.
“With an existing distribution network in Ghana, Lauritz Knudsen plans to expand further into medium voltage switchgear, smart energy management, and solar,” Ms Slimani stated.
She said the company had supported over 50GW of solar capacity globally.
The Business Development Manager of Lauritz Knudsen in charge of West Africa, Valentine Mbachu, noted that unreliable power directly impacts productivity.
“A $2.1 billion annual loss isn’t an abstract figure, it’s downtime on factory floors, spoiled inventory, and stalled investment decisions. We’ve built strong partnerships in Ghana because this market has the industrial ambition to grow fast,” he said.
BY EDEM TSORTORME
