The Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (GARCC) has strongly debunked reports alleging that it has sanctioned the use of the Kanda Highway and other principal streets in the capital for the sale of livestock.

In a rejoinder issued on Friday, 29 May 2026, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo, directed media houses to correct the erroneous impression created by any broadcasts depicting such information.

The council expressed deep concern over the publications, stating categorically that neither the GARCC nor the Regional Minister has granted any form of authorisation to any individual, group, or association to engage in the commercial sale of animals on road medians or principal streets within the Accra Metropolis.

Setting the record straight on its recent administrative actions, the GARCC said that it had actually been actively working to dismantle the illegal roadside markets rather than supporting them.

Upon noticing an increasing practice of traders displaying and selling livestock along the Kanda Highway and various road medians, the council said it undertook immediate regulatory steps to address the environmental and security challenges.

The GARCC said officials embarked on stakeholder engagement sessions, which were subsequently convened by the Regional Minister.

The emergency meeting brought together officials from the Ayawaso East Municipal Assembly, traditional leaders from the affected enclaves, local security heads, and the livestock operators themselves to find an immediate solution to the problem.

During the deliberations, serious concerns were raised by the council and traditional authorities regarding the severe safety implications of allowing cattle, goats, and sheep to be traded on busy highway patches.

Technical heads warned of the direct risks posed to fast-moving motorists, pedestrians, and the animals themselves, alongside the severe adverse effects the trade has on urban traffic flow and the orderly use of public spaces in the capital.

Consequently, the council said it issued a direct, uncompromising order to the operators, instructing them to remove their livestock from the affected highway locations with immediate effect and relocate all trading activities to more appropriate, designated market areas outside the main traffic arteries.

The minister described the subsequent media reports suggesting that the council had approved the practice as highly unfortunate and surprising, especially since they had been at the forefront of stopping it.

The Regional Coordinating Council concluded its statement by assuring residents of the Greater Accra Region of its unwavering commitment to public safety, environmental sanitation, and the orderly management of public spaces across the capital.