By Jacob Aggrey
The Ga Mantse, His Royal Majesty King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, has visited the Makola Market in the Central Business District (CBD) of Accra to engage traders on measures towards improving the state of sanitation in the city.
The visit was part of a broader initiative aimed at making Accra the cleanest city in Africa.
Accompanied by the Mayor of Accra, Madam Elizabeth Kwatsoe Sackey, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Hon. Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus Glover, and a delegation from the Ga Traditional Council (GTC) made up of the Paramount Chief of Sempe, Nii Adote Otintor II, Paramount Chief of Abola, Nii Ahene Nunoo II and Ga Asafoatse Onukpa, Captain Kojo Nseni Mankattah IV, the Ga Mantse in a public address, emphasised collective responsibility in tackling the city’s waste management challenges and expressed a strong commitment to improving the state of Accra’s cleanliness ahead of the upcoming Homowo festival.
The Ga Mantse disclosed that the mission to rid the city of filth and make “Accra Work Again” was a collaboration between the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), led by the Regional Minister, the Mayor of Accra, and all chiefs from the GTC, adding that the campaign would include a comprehensive waste management initiative.
He acknowledged the importance of working closely with market queens and other stakeholders in the city to achieve the desired goal. “Today, the Regional Coordinating Council headed by the Regional Minister, the Mayor of Accra, the Sempe Mantse, who is the Paramount Chief of Sempe, the Abola Mantse, and all the chiefs of the Traditional Council have come together to foster and forge a pact that will make Accra work again.
Accra must be the cleanest city in Africa. And if we are to attain that faith, then the onus is on us,” he said. “I want you to know that the effort of making Accra the cleanest city in Africa, would not only be rhetoric or a mantra. Today, we are commencing an action towards making Accra work again, making Accra clean. We cannot afford to have it in the state it’s in,” he added.
The Ga Mantse called for diligence and resilience in the effort to clean Accra, promising that he would not rest until the city achieved the desired standards of cleanliness.
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus Glover, in an interview with the media after the visit, described the campaign as a joint task involving multiple ministries, including the Sanitation and Local Government Ministries and the RCC.
According to him, the initiative would begin in early July and involve extensive engagement with market groups, drivers, and station workers. He acknowledged that sustaining cleanliness in the city was challenging but expressed optimism about the current collaborative approach involving traditional councils and various committees.
The Minister also highlighted the critical role of the media in creating awareness about the campaign and ensuring public participation.
