Hawkers in the Central Business District of Accra have until the end of the day Monday to leave the streets according to a directive issued by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA). The directive, which was issued on Sunday, is aimed at decongesting the capital. In an interview with Citi FM, AMA Public Relations Officer Numo Blafo says that management will decide how to move those hawkers who fail to comply with the directive. “We have given them up to Monday to move from those places. It’s not for me to say what kind of action we will take because management will take a decision as to how to move them,” he stated. Numo Blafo further mentioned, “This shows the level of indiscipline in our society because people know that naturally they are not supposed to be selling on the streets but they will intentionally go and do it.” Meanwhile, some of the hawkers who heard the directive on Sunday said they would not be able to relocate before the deadline. “We were here this morning when we heard them announcing it and they normally do it so we are just preparing ourselves. Besides we cannot do anything about it,” one hawker said. “We have heard that the AMA taskforce will be coming around on Monday. How do they expect us to make ends meet? If they say they are coming to sack us, we have nothing to say. We will wait for them, hide when they come around and return when they leave,” another hawker added. This is not the first time the AMA has attempted clearing hawkers off the streets of Accra. Most such attempts have been unsuccessful in the past as hawkers return after a few days away from the streets. Analysts say that until the Assembly fully enforces its by-laws, clearing the hawkers will remain a challenge.