KMA directs shops, markets to close for national clean-up exercise

Markets, shops and corporate offices within Kumasi’s Central Business District will temporarily suspend operations on Friday and Saturday to allow residents and institutions to participate in the nationwide clean-up exercise.

In a statement, the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) directed business operators to close their premises from 6:00 a.m. until mid-morning on Friday and until the conclusion of the exercise on Saturday.

According to the Assembly, Friday’s exercise will focus on private and public institutions, including offices, markets and shops, with cleaning activities taking place within their premises and surrounding areas from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

“All should remain closed until the exercise ends,” the statement said.

For Saturday, the Assembly announced that all commercial and trading activities within the Central Business District would remain suspended until the clean-up is completed.

The designated locations for Saturday’s exercise include Alabar, the stretch from Boss FM to the Otumfuo Roundabout, Asem Astroturf, Yalewa Zongo, and the M/A Zion School–Asafo area.

The Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council has assigned the two-day national initiative to institutional and community sanitation activities.

On Friday, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), schools, health facilities, security institutions and both public and private organisations are expected to clean their offices and immediate surroundings.

The Ghana Education Service has also been directed to ensure that Junior High School and Senior High School students across the region take part in the exercise.

Saturday’s activities will centre on community clean-up efforts, with residents encouraged to desilt drains, clear blocked gutters, remove refuse and tidy public spaces, markets and transport terminals.

Commercial drivers have also been instructed to suspend operations until the clean-up exercise concludes.

Personnel from the Police Service, Ghana Armed Forces, Fire Service, Immigration Service, Prisons Service and National Ambulance Service are expected to participate in Saturday’s activities.

The National Clean-up Day initiative is intended to improve environmental sanitation, reduce the spread of sanitation-related diseases and minimise the risk of flooding.