The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has announced that the first official clean-up exercise under the newly launched National Sanitation Day initiative will take place this Saturday, 4th October 2025.

In a press release issued on Thursday, October 2, as part of the operation, the assembly noted that all shops and markets within the metropolis will remain closed from 6am until the clean-up is concluded.

The citywide initiative follows the recent launch of National Sanitation Day by the President and is aimed at tackling Accra’s long-standing sanitation challenges.

According to the AMA, the exercise seeks to rid the city of filth, promote public health, and reinforce collective responsibility for a cleaner, safer, and more resilient urban environment.

The clean-up is being carried out in accordance with the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (Communal Labour) Bye-Laws, 2017, enacted under Section 181 of the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936), which designates the first Saturday of each month as a mandatory National Sanitation Day.

To ensure a well-coordinated effort, all Assembly Members will lead clean-up activities across their respective electoral areas.

The operation will span all sub-metropolitan districts, with intensified efforts in high-risk zones including Agbogbloshie, Tuesday Market, the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange and its environs, Kwasiadwaso, and Kaneshie Market.

Tasks will include desilting of major drains, refuse removal, and general cleaning of market precincts to reduce the risk of flooding and sanitation-related health hazards.

• Read also: Mahama re-launches National Sanitation Day

The AMA has issued a strong call to residents, traders, shop owners, and stakeholders to comply fully with the temporary closure directive and to actively take part in the clean-up to facilitate its swift and successful completion.

Public Health Officers will be deployed throughout the city to monitor compliance and enforce the by-laws.

The AMA has warned that failure to participate in the exercise or to comply with the closure order constitutes an offence.

Offenders face a fine of up to one hundred penalty units, imprisonment for a term between thirty days and six months, or both. In the case of a continuing offence, additional daily penalties will apply.

The Assembly has reiterated its commitment to making Accra a cleaner and healthier city and urged the public to see the exercise not just as an obligation, but as a civic duty and an opportunity to contribute to the capital’s transformation.