The Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) has launched an urban renewal campaign aimed at reclaiming public spaces, protecting critical infrastructure and restoring order in the city.
The operation, led by the Metropolitan Chief Executive, Ebi Bright, which took two days (Friday, October 31, 2025 and Saturday, November 1, 2025), saw a taskforce from the assembly storming the Republic Road School enclave as part of the national sanitation day campaign, in an exercise that went beyond the usual clean-up or demolition exercises.
The MCE explained that it signalled a thoughtful and comprehensive approach to tackling urban decay and re-establishing civic discipline.
“We are taking back this space for our children; for learning and for the future of Tema,” she said.
Encroachment
For years, Tema has faced the creeping problem of encroachment around public institutions.
Spaces meant for schools, hospitals and government facilities have been taken over by makeshift structures, poor sanitation and, in some cases, criminal activities.
At Community Four, along Republic Road, for instance, the only government basic school shares a wall with drug dens, short-stay hotels and animal pens, exposing children to unsafe and degrading surroundings.
“The sanctity of learning cannot coexist with such disorder,” Ebi Bright said, stressing the urgency of restoring safety and dignity to educational environments.
She explained that what sets the current initiative apart is its integrated and sustainable design.
"Rather than relying on demolition alone, the assembly has adopted a multi-sectoral strategy involving infrastructure rehabilitation, environmental restoration and security enhancement," she said
Facelift
She said over the past five months, the TMA has embarked on public sensitisation under the Tema Facelift Campaign, adding that the TMA has begun combining several interventions -clearing, tree planting, sewage repairs, streetlight restoration and perimeter demarcation- aimed at rebuilding the spaces it clears.
Ms Bright indicated that security was also central to the plan, adding that the assembly would deploy Metro Guards during the day and night watchmen at night to safeguard schools and prevent re-encroachment.
"This long-term approach is designed to avoid the failures of previous exercises that lacked follow-up and allowed illegal structures to return,” she said.
Way forward
As the TMA observes these monthly sanitation day events, sustaining these gains would demand persistence.
Ebi Bright’s administration appears determined to break that cycle by blending firm action with humane engagement, assisting compliant traders while enforcing the law against defaulters.
This operation reflects a new style of metropolitan leadership, one that treats urban renewal as both a governance duty and a shared social contract.
By focusing on coordination, education and civic responsibility, Ebi Bright’s TMA is redefining how cities can reclaim order without alienating their citizens.
If sustained, the Republic Road exercise could serve as a model of responsive urban regeneration in the Tema Metropolis, showing that real urban transformation requires not just demolition, but discipline, dialogue and dedication.
Writer's email: benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh
