A sanitation court in Ghana’s capital, Accra, has convicted 10 people for violating local sanitation bylaws at one of the city’s busiest trading centres, the Agbogbloshie Market.

The convictions follow a swoop by officials from the Clean Ghana Campaign Taskforce, who carried out an unannounced operation last week to clear traders operating in unhygienic conditions.

The accused: eight traders and two tricycle operators were charged with offences including selling food at unauthorised locations, obstructing public pathways, and blocking access roads with tricycles.

They pleaded guilty and were each fined GH¢600, bringing the total penalties to around GH¢6,000.

City officials say the move is part of efforts to enforce strict sanitation laws and restore order in the city’s markets, where poor waste management and illegal trading have long posed health and safety challenges.

This comes at a time when Ghana’s urban sanitation crisis remains a major public health concern.

The Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources estimates that Accra alone generates more than 3,000 tonnes of solid waste every day, much of which goes uncollected or is improperly disposed of.

Officials say stricter enforcement, coupled with public cooperation, is crucial to keeping markets and public spaces clean.