AMA urged to crack down on unauthorised billboards in Accra
The Chairperson of Parliament’s Committee on Local Government and Decentralisation, Queenstar Pokuah Sawyerr, has called on the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to urgently intensify efforts to remove unauthorised billboards and signboards along major roads in the capital.
She said the growing presence of such structures had become a serious concern, particularly because they obstruct motorists’ visibility and could compromise road safety.
Mrs Sawyerr made the call when officials of the AMA, led by its Chief Executive, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, appeared before the committee on Tuesday, October 6, to respond to financial infractions highlighted in the 2025 Auditor-General’s reports on the assembly.
The issue of unauthorised billboards and signboards emerged during discussions on measures being taken by the AMA to remove illegal structures and restore the appearance of road medians across Accra.
Mrs Sawyerr identified unauthorised billboards and signboards as one of the major challenges affecting road safety and the beautification of the capital.
She urged the AMA to pay particular attention to structures erected along road medians, noting that some of them were positioned in ways that severely limited motorists’ ability to see approaching vehicles and other road users.
The Agona East MP said the assembly had received numerous complaints from motorists who had encountered difficulties navigating parts of Accra because of structures blocking their view.
She also advised the AMA to focus more on permanent unauthorised structures such as containers rather than concentrating mainly on petty traders operating from tables on road medians.
According to her, removing containers and other permanent structures would help discourage traders from setting up temporary stalls on the medians.
Mrs Sawyerr stressed that unauthorised billboards and signboards that obstruct motorists’ views should be treated as a priority.
Responding to the concerns, Mr Allotey said the AMA had established a team to tackle the problem and had already started removing unauthorised billboards and signboards from road medians.
He explained that the assembly did not have to notify owners before removing structures that had been erected without permission.
Mr Allotey said previous attempts to notify owners ahead of enforcement exercises often allowed them to mobilise people to resist the removal operations.
He added that the AMA was also working to relocate traders from road medians as part of efforts to restore greenery and improve the appearance of major roads.
He said the assembly had inherited a situation where hawkers occupied several locations across the city but had adopted a more humane approach by creating designated spaces where traders could operate instead of simply driving them away.
According to him, the first phase of the exercise involves moving traders off the streets and allowing them to operate from designated areas behind the red lines.
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