The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Hon. Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo, last Saturday gave a three-hour ultimatum to the Mayor of Accra after expressing a shock over the condition of sanitation at a busy junction close to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) offices in Tudu.
The Minister, who was supervising the area on Sunday, defined the clutter and waste at the junction as an “eye-saw,” cautioning that such deterioration destroys the image of the capital city and weakens foreign investment.
“The Mayor must do the needful and send people here immediately,” she said firmly and added that, “the current state of this area sends the wrong signal to potential investors and undermines our vision for a modern capital.”
Leadership on the Ground
Hon. Ocloo’s undisclosed inspection reflects her proactive leadership style. Instead of depending solely on reports, she has made it a routine to walk through communities, revealing shortcomings in municipal management and requesting immediate action. Her arrival in Tudu was a special case.
She publicly instructed the Accra Mayor to take action, and further beckoned that, excuses will not be accepted. In her own perspective, sanitation is not a secondary matter but an important measure of governance and accountability.
Why Tudu Matters
Tudu is one of Accra’s busiest economic centres, with thousands of traders and passers-by. Due to its geographical location, near the Accra Metropolitan Assembly(AMA) headquarters, illustrate its significant power: what goes on there tells us more about how the city is handled.
Historically, Tudu has been an overcrowding area with activities of hawking and poor waste disposal. Traders display goods onto pavements, while refuse are piled up near road junctions. For investors searching for opportunities, such scenes raise an alarm for concern about planning and execution in our capital.
That was precisely Hon. Ocloo’s opinion. By relating sanitation to investor confidence, she reinstated the conversation: clean and orderly streets are not just for decoration or beautification of the streets rather they are part of Accra’s economic performance.
Ultimatum as a Test
The Minister’s three-hour ultimatum was beyond a clean-up exercise. It was a test of the Mayor’s interest and the city’s ability to implement standards immediately. If the AMA react quickly, it could set a model for an instant, more recognized acts in other problematic spots across Accra. If care is not taken, the effect of weaknesses in municipal leadership and coordination, can promote public doubts about the city’s ability to project its own image.
Raising the Stakes
Accra has seen sanitation initiatives reappearing, right from the “Keep Ghana Clean” campaign to monthly sanitation days. Many of these efforts failed due to lack of long-term plan. Hon. Ocloo’s intermediary with Tudu breaks that cycle-by making officials directly align results to deadlines.
Her ultimatum is also a cautioning shot to city leaders: the period of tolerating abandoned filth on our streets has ended. Sanitation, issues are not optional rather they are pivotal to how Accra must come into view as a modern African capital.
Applauds AMA
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) hours after the Minister’s order emptied heaps of refuse that had piled up in the busy Tudu environment, reinstating a cleaner and a better environment for both traders and passers-by.
Hon. Linda Ocloo, who expressed her concerns about sanitation in the capital, verified the exercise in a social media post backed by photos of the area. The images captured a great difference, showing the streets devoid of waste that formerly blocked both the movement of vehicles and pedestrians.
For numerous weeks, the rise of the refuse at Tudu raised public backlash, with residents and business operators talking about its effect on health and the city’s image. The swift response from AMA followed the minister’s call on the mayor to act on the filthy nature of the area.
By complimenting the AMA, Ocloo emphasized the essence of interest in city management. “Refuse cleared, thanks AMA,” her post read. A brief but an important acknowledgment of the Assembly’s efforts.
The clean-up has been associated to larger efforts by the AMA to enhance sanitation in Accra’s central business district, where improper waste disposal and invasion by traders continue to be a perennial problem.
Residents and traders have embraced the exercise but the main test relies in a long-term sustainable cleanliness. Many are calling for public education and regular enforcement to maintain a cleaner and neater capital.
As the capital continues to struggle with waste management, the Tudu clean-up initiative remains as a reminder of how authorities can maintain this initiative. In taking immediate actions it will yield a positive outcome.
