The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) task force has removed a shop extension at Tudu after repeated warnings, as the city entered day four of its decongestion exercise aimed at restoring pedestrian access and enforcing the Assembly’s Red Line directive.

The removal, carried out on Wednesday, followed an order by the Mayor of Accra, Hon. Michael Kpakpo Allotey, who said the extension constructed with canopies had obstructed the pavement and limited public use of the walkway.

Addressing traders during the operation, the Mayor said he would not allow private interests to take over public space, stressing that the pavements were state property meant for everyone and could not be treated as a commodity.

He said he was not collecting money from anyone and had instructed his team to make it clear that the trading space was not for sale.

The Mayor said he was determined to ensure that the Red Line remained visible and enforced, describing the effort to clear streets and regulate trading as a lasting legacy he intended to leave adding that the decongestion exercise would endure despite criticism from some quarters.

He said the Assembly’s actions were intended to protect livelihoods for those who could not afford shops, and urged traders with permanent shops to stop expanding onto public walkways.

He warned that any trader occupying both a shop and an additional portion of the pavement would be removed to create room for others.

The Mayor cautioned that no one had the authority to prevent fellow Ghanaians from trading in approved spaces, and said the AMA would intervene where individuals attempted to use wealth or influence to block others from operating.

He added that the exercise was focused on supporting the poor and needy and insisted that public space must serve the wider community rather than a few individuals.

He also warned that traders who refused to allow others to operate peacefully alongside them risked being removed from the area, reiterating that the space belonged to the government and would be regulated in the public interest.

Earlier in the day, the Mayor began his day-four tour from Kinbu Road through to the Central Business District and CMB, where he observed what he described as improved compliance with the Red Line directive commending traders who had moved behind the demarcations and directed those whose surroundings were dirty to sweep and gather refuse.