Ghana’s environmental officers arrest 17 residents, business operators for failing to clean frontage

By Nneka Nwogwugwu

At least 17 residents and business operators in the Ga East Municipal Assembly (GEMA) have been summoned and made to clean their frontage by environmental health officers of the assembly.

They were summoned when the Ga East Assembly embarked on a pilot exercise after the launch of the “Operation Clean your Frontage” campaign in the municipality in Accra, Ghana.

Partnered by the Ga North, Ga Central and Ga West Municipal Assemblies respectively, the exercise formed part of efforts aimed at “Making Accra Work Again.”

The exercise which is under the auspices of the Greater Accra Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) was led by the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of the Ga East Municipal Assembly, Elizabeth Kaakie Mann, and some environmental health officers of partnership assemblies.

The team went round the municipality to inspect the sanitary conditions of the people living there ahead of the main exercise which would kick-start in February, this year.

Some persons who defaulted attributed it to being oblivious of the exercise and therefore stressed the need for more public education and sensitisation.

Meanwhile speaking at the launch, the MCE of the Ga East Municipal Assembly, Ms Mann, said the Assembly had in the past two months undertaken various public sensitisation activities to educate its citizenry on the enforcement of the initiative.

“These included engagement with stakeholders, especially traditional authorities, residents’ associations, market leaders and traders, as well as transport unions,” she added.