The Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, has launched the Homowo Clean-up exercise, which will commence on July 2 and has directed all commercial retailers to remain closed on the day of the commencement of the training.
The Ga Mantse said it is expected that all shops and businesses in the capital will support the month-long initiative and urged leaders of various groups and associations to participate fully.
King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II revealed these when he launched the initiative in Accra on Friday, June 21, 2024.
The one-month campaign, themed “Let’s Keep Accra Clean,” aims to promote good waste management practices, improve environmental cleanliness, and instill a sense of community ownership and responsibility towards environmental stewardship.
The exercise will take place in all 25 local government authorities within the Greater Accra Region.
The Ga Mantse warned against the politicization of the exercise, emphasizing that environmental cleanliness affects everyone regardless of political affiliations.
He urged all residents to adhere strictly to sanitation bylaws, clean their frontages, gutters, and premises, and called for the reintroduction of communal labour and intensified public education on sanitation.
He also issued a stern warning to those who refused to comply with the sanitation bylaws, stating that a special task force would be deployed to arrest offenders and ensure they faced the full force of the law.
To encourage participation, the Ga Mantse announced an incentive to the clean-up campaign—sanitation competitions, stating that schools, communities, markets, and lorry stations will vie for the top spot, with awards up for grabs for the cleanest.
King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II took the opportunity to issue a rallying cry to corporate institutions in the capital, urging them to embrace sustainable practices and green policies that prioritize environmental wellbeing.
The Accra Mayor, Elizabeth K.T. Sackey, called for change, decrying the city’s persistently poor sanitary conditions.
She vowed that the AMA would ensure the clean-up exercise was a resounding success, leaving no stone unturned in the quest for a cleaner, greener, and healthier Accra.
Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, praised Ga Mantse’s leadership, acknowledging his invaluable contributions to Accra’s cleanliness.
He observed that the Homowo festival was not “merely a celebration, but a poignant reflection of our cultural heritage, deeply rooted in the values of cleanliness and community pride.”
For her part, the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources (MSWR), Lydia Seyram Alhassan, said her ministry was fully equipped and ready for the exercise. She urged every citizen in Accra to play an active role in making the campaign a resounding success.
Greater Accra Regional Minister, Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus-Glover, expressed gratitude to the Ga Traditional Council (GTC) for reviving the ‘Keep Accra Clean’ campaign.
He noted that the exercise will be implemented in phases, with the first phase set to launch on July 2 in the Accra metropolitan area.
