The President of the Advertising Associations of Ghana, Andrew Ackah, has raised serious concerns about the proliferation of unauthorized billboards along some of Accra's busiest roads.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Mr Ackah disclosed that a significant number of billboards on major routes like Spintex Road and Liberation Road are not owned by members of the association.

“We do audits now and then and on the Spintex Road, I can tell you that 75% of billboards on that road, we don’t know who owns them. This is because they are not owned by our members,” he stated.

He expressed even greater alarm regarding the situation on Liberation Road, where he noted that “about 80% of billboards don’t belong to our members.”

Mr Ackah pointed out that these billboards, despite being unaccounted for by the association, regularly display advertisements, indicating that someone is managing them.

“Every time you drive on that road, you see adverts on those billboards so it means it is owned by somebody or is it for the assemblies,” he told co-host Winston Amoah.

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According to Mr Ackah, although the law mandates a distance of 100 to 120 meters between billboards, the reality on the ground is starkly different, with billboards often placed just 60 meters apart.

“Why are assemblies giving permits for people to do the wrong thing when you know what the law says?” he questioned.

The Association’s President highlighted the economic incentive behind the proliferation of unauthorised billboards, describing the billboard business as akin to real estate.

“What has happened is that we have some unknown people who just mount billboards anyway and anyhow because they have realized that the outdoor business is like real estate because it is cheaper to buy boards and pipes and just put them together and just hoist and make an x amount every month. So they do not go through the right process,” he observed.

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He stressed the importance of proper materials and construction practices as outlined in the legislative instrument (LI) governing billboard installations, which are often ignored by those erecting billboards without proper authorisation.

“There is a whole engineering aspect on what iron rod, and what type of cement to use. All these are there in the LI but they are not being practiced.”

“Why do we have a law on billboards but it’s not been implemented? And why do we just allow anyone at all to mount their billboards? So our members who self-regulate and use the right principles are suffering,” he concluded.