The Mayor of Accra, Hon. Michael Kpakpo Allotey has engaged traders and market women on the Assembly’s Christmas holiday revenue collection drive, urging strict compliance with approved fees and the insistence on official receipts for all payments.

The engagement, held at selected markets and trading centres within the Central Business District (CBD) formed part of efforts to sustain essential city services during the festive period, including sanitation delivery, routine clean-ups and public safety support at busy commercial and transport locations.

Addressing the traders, the Mayor explained that the holiday tolls and fees being collected support the Assembly’s operations, especially during the peak season when commercial activity rises.

“What I’m trying to say is you should pay your tolls,” the Mayor said, explaining that revenue mobilisation was directly tied to sanitation delivery and the welfare of frontline workers who clean the city daily.

He noted that as economic activity increases during the season, waste generation also rises, adding pressure on sanitation services, adding that the Assembly relied on approved taxes and fees to pay sweepers and sanitation personnel who manage the increased volumes of refuse.

The Mayor also called for collective responsibility in keeping Accra clean, stressing that the city’s progress depended on teamwork and consistent compliance with AMA directives.

The Coordinating Director of the AMA, Mr Douglas N.K. Annoful, who also engaged traders at different locations, announced a strengthened sanitation and operational schedule throughout the holidays, warning that waste build-up at key commercial points would no longer be tolerated.

He cited persistent refuse accumulation at places such as Rawlings Park, UTC, Railways, Kinbu, and Tudu, explaining that by the time sanitation teams return after collection, “it has increased,” leading to unhealthy conditions including sicknesses and houseflies.

He reiterated that the GH¢2 daily payments support street sweeping and sanitation work, noting that the AMA also bears the cost of transporting waste to final disposal sites.

The Coordinating Director stressed that although the holiday period typically calls for reduced work schedules, the Assembly would not “sleep,” because maintaining cleanliness and order in the capital remained a continuous duty.

“We were supposed to sleep as of now, but no, when we do that, our country will not go on,” he said, appealing to traders to keep supporting the Assembly’s work and to avoid practices that undermine city sanitation.