Demolition exercise commences in GAR today

The Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (GARCC) would commence the demolition of illegal structures in parts of the region today.

The demolition exercise would commence in the Tema Metropolis, Sakumono, Klagon and its environs, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo, said.  

The exercise is also expected to be extended to the Madina La-Nkwantanang and the Adentan municipalities.

The minister was speaking at a maiden meeting with new Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in the Greater Accra Region at the GARCC in Accra yesterday.

Ms Ocloo lamented the rate at which illegal structures and buildings on waterways were springing up.

These structures, she said, had been the major cause of flooding and sanitation challenges in the region over the years.

She said it was about time the authorities acted decisively and implemented long-term solutions rather than reactivate interventions.

“Tomorrow’s exercise is going to be extraordinary because we are going to cause some arrests. Some people have raised illegal structures at areas where demolition exercises were carried out.

“We will demolish all those structures. After the exercise, we will put a task force in place that will be monitoring the sites and make sure that the buildings wouldn't be raised again,” she said.

Ms Ocloo commended the Chief Executives of Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly for their efforts to decongest the Central Business District (CBD) and assured them of her full support.

She urged other MMDCEs to emulate their efforts and also decongest their municipalities. 

Sanitation, waste management

The minister urged the MMDCEs to take proactive and innovative steps such as intensifying public education, strengthening enforcement of sanitation by-laws, and collaborating with public and private sector stakeholders to address sanitation in their jurisdictions.

She indicated that “poor waste disposal practices, open defecation to illegal dumping and choked drains, have become a blot on our efforts to present Accra as a modern and livable capital”.

Ms Ocloo implored the MMDCEs to rise to the President’s call and make sanitation a hallmark of their success; while also getting prepared for the National Sanitation Day Exercise which would soon be launched by the President. 

Streetlights, flooding

The minister appealed to the MMDCEs to also ensure proper maintenance of streetlights as they faced challenges with theft and sustainability of the “lighting up Accra project” she instituted earlier this year.

Ms Ocloo also called for the decongestion of waterways, enforce planning regulations, and desilting drains regularly. She said this “requires a coordinated and sustained effort especially among the 17 MMDAs under the GARID Project”.

She also encouraged all MMDAs to adopt innovative revenue mobilisation strategies like “a cashless system implemented by the Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly (KoKMA)” to boost revenue generation and close leaky holes”. 

Performance review, caution

To ensure accountability and progress, the minister said the GARCC “will institute quarterly performance review meetings with all MMDCEs”. This according to her would allow the GARCC to assess progress, share best practices and collectively resolve challenges.

Ms Ocloo urged the MMDCEs to work cordially with their staff, respecting the hierarchy and promoting teamwork and professionalism.

She said the GARCC remained committed to providing technical backstopping and any support needed to enable them to deliver effectively in accordance with the Local Governance Act, 2026 Act 936.

The minister urged the MMDCEs to be very circumspect in the way they carried themselves and not go against the President’s Code of Conduct for government appointees.