The Mayor of Accra, Hon. Michael Kpakpo Allotey has led a public sensitisation drive in the Central Business District (CBD) ahead of the May edition of the National Sanitation Day (NSD) exercise scheduled for Saturday, May 2, 2026, with a call on traders, shop owners, hawkers and all business operators to fully participate.

Addressing traders on Monday morning, the Mayor said the upcoming sanitation exercise was compulsory for all persons doing business within the jurisdiction of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), stressing that no trading activity would be permitted during the clean-up period.

He said all traders, including those operating on pavements, table-top sellers, hawkers, sachet water sellers, coconut sellers, chop bar operators, fishmongers and shop owners, were expected to suspend business and take part in the exercise.

According to him, the May edition of the NSD was particularly important due to ongoing efforts by the Assembly to improve cleanliness in the capital and prevent flooding during the rainy season.

He said Accra continued to experience flooding whenever it rained, largely because drains, markets and public spaces were often choked with refuse, adding that the situation required the collective effort of residents and traders.

The Mayor urged traders to take responsibility for their immediate surroundings by desilting drains, sweeping market areas, removing waste and ensuring that water could flow freely whenever it rained.

He explained that even if the exercise was delayed slightly, it would be completed by 10:00 a.m., adding that the temporary suspension of business was necessary to protect lives, property and livelihoods from flooding and poor sanitation.

In response to a question about the collection of market tolls from traders during sanitation day, the Mayor said the AMA was now operating on a 24-hour basis as part of efforts to support the 24-hour economy, and that daily tolls were collected from traders only on days they were operating.

He noted that the GH¢2 daily toll paid by traders was used to support refuse collection and other development projects in the metropolis, and therefore encouraged all traders to honour their toll obligations.

The Mayor appealed to all traders to cooperate with the Assembly and desist from engaging in any form of trading during the sanitation exercise and stressed the need for full participation from everyone, irrespective of the type of goods they sold or where they operated from.

He warned that persons who failed to participate in the exercise or defied the directive by trading during the clean-up period would be arrested, fined and prosecuted before the sanitation court.

The Mayor cautioned that the Assembly would not entertain excuses from offenders, stressing that enough public education and warning would have been given ahead of the exercise.