The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has organised a float through the bustling streets of Accra and planted trees as part of activities to commemorate its 125th anniversary.

The celebration themed: "125 Years of Local Governance: Strengthening Community Resilience and Sustainable Development of the City of Accra", aimed to raise awareness about civic duty, environmental consciousness, and the city's commitment to sustainability.

The AMA, established in 1898, has played a pivotal role in local governance for over a century. Originally formed to address the evolving needs of the growing city, it has since evolved to tackle contemporary challenges, including waste management, urban development, and environmental sustainability.

The over five-hour float which began from the forecourt of the AMA through Adabraka to the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange, Obetsebi Roundabout, Kaneshie First Light, Flamingo Light, Zongo junction, Latebiokoshie, Mamprobi, Korle Gonno and Makola saw staff creating public awareness on sanitation, climate change, and public health, among others while shedding light on measures to reduce the effects of climate change.

Clad in their anniversary T-shirts, staff, management, and Assembly members of the AMA led by the first female Mayor amidst music, paraded some major streets in Accra, dancing and displaying placards bearing inscriptions, ‘Accra Live In, Love It’, ‘Let’s Keep Accra Clean, Don’t Litter, Waste Less, Care More, ‘Stop Open Defecation’, ‘Obey The Bye-laws and ‘A Green Accra: A Green Ghana'.

Addressing the media, the Mayor of Accra, Elizabeth Kwatsoe Tawiah Sackey highlighted the AMA's commitment to sustainability and climate change mitigation.

She said the purpose of the float was to spark a renewed sense of civic duty and environmental consciousness, propelling the city forward into a sustainable and resilient future.

She explained that the symbolic tree planting at the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange underscored citizens' pivotal role in combating climate change and preserving Accra's rich heritage.

She also used the opportunity to underscore the AMA's commitment to sustainability and its role in mitigating climate change impacts within the city.

She said the AMA as part of measures to attain universal solid waste collection coverage, divert waste (especially organic waste) from landfills and ensure safe disposal of residual waste was implementing a solid waste source separation and Community compost programme, Zero Waste Street concept, integrating informal waste workers into its waste management chain, as well as reviewing solid waste collection agreements to include separate collections of organics and plastics.

"The AMA has been intentional in its commitment to creating sustainable solid waste management… Our initiative in sustainable solid waste management is to ensure a clean and healthy environment for citizens and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for the waste sector. The AMA has an ambitious target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 76% below business-as-usual levels by 2050," she said.

Mayor Sackey concluded her address by calling on citizens to avoid illegal waste disposal practices and abide by the AMA's sanitation and other bylaws stressing the need for a collective responsibility to foster a cleaner and healthier environment for all residents of Accra.

She assured that sustainable governance and environmental stewardship remained at the forefront of the Assembly's agenda, setting a precedent for cities across the region.