Local Government Ministry begins nationwide billboard clean-up

The Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs has launched a nationwide exercise to regulate and standardise billboards and signage, starting with the Greater Accra Region.

The Deputy Minister, Rita Naa Odoley Sowah, announced the initiative while speaking to the media after a monitoring tour held as part of activities to mark the ongoing National Sanitation Week.

Rita Naa Odoley Sowah, who also chairs the 15-member Technical Committee on the Regulation and Standardisation of Signage across Ghana, said the exercise is aimed at curbing the uncontrolled proliferation of billboards and signages, which she said pose risks to visibility, pedestrian safety and the overall cleanliness of cities.

She explained that the committee, in collaboration with Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies, has already identified and removed several billboards in Accra, with more expected to be taken down in the days ahead. Notices, she added, have already been issued to some billboard owners.

According to the Deputy Minister, many of the signages are temporary structures, and local assemblies are empowered to remove any installations that obstruct views, road medians or pedestrian walkways.

She warned owners of unauthorised or improperly sited billboards to comply, stressing that the exercise will be sustained as part of broader efforts to make Accra and other urban centres cleaner, safer and more accessible.

Rita Naa Odoley Sowah also appealed to the public and billboard operators to cooperate with the committee to ensure the smooth and successful implementation of the nationwide clean-up exercise.