Ga Mantse Launches Homowo Clean-up Exercise, Urges Shops to Close on Exercise Day
The Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, has launched the Homowo Clean-up exercise, emphasizing that all shops and businesses in the designated area must remain closed on the day of the exercise. “We expect all shops and businesses to close on the day of the exercise. We also urge leaders of various groups and associations to participate fully,” the Ga Mantse said at the launch ceremony at the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) on Friday, June 21, 2024.
The one-month campaign, themed “Let’s Keep Accra Clean,” aims to promote good waste management practices, improve environmental cleanliness, and instil a sense of community ownership and responsibility towards environmental stewardship. The exercise will take place in all 25 local government authorities within the Greater Accra Region and will involve household registration for organized waste collection services, education on waste management techniques, and enforcement of bylaws to ensure compliance with waste management regulations.
The Ga Mantse warned against the politicization of the exercise, emphasizing that environmental cleanliness affects everyone regardless of political affiliations. He urged all residents to adhere strictly to sanitation bylaws, clean their frontages, gutters, and premises, and called for the reintroduction of communal labor and intensified public education on sanitation.
Awards will be given to the cleanest schools, communities, markets, and lorry stations, fostering a spirit of friendly competition and community pride. Corporate institutions were urged to embrace sustainable practices and green policies that prioritize environmental wellbeing. Collaborating government ministries pledged their resources and expertise to ensure the initiative’s success.
The Accra Mayor, Elizabeth K.T. Sackey, praised the Ga Mantse’s involvement, saying, “His Majesty’s participation underscores the gravity of this issue and the collective responsibility we must embrace to create a cleaner, healthier Accra for all.” The Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Lydia Seyram Alhassan, revealed that her ministry is fully equipped and ready for the clean-up exercise, with resources including compaction trucks, tricycles, Wellington boots, security personnel, and environmental health officers.
