Mr Akamugri Donatus Atanga, the Upper East Regional Minister, has issued a final warning to traders who defy the monthly national clean-up exercise by opening their shops during the exercise, saying offenders’ risk having their goods confiscated.
He said from the next clean-up exercise, any shop found operating before the official closing time of 1100 hours would have its goods seized and transported to the assembly premises, where owners would have to follow due administrative procedures to reclaim them.
“This is the last time we are issuing this warning. The next time we come for a clean-up exercise and your shop is open before the exercise is over, we will simply collect your goods and lock them up at the Municipal Assembly for you to explain why,” he said.
Mr Atanga gave the warning after participating in the monthly national clean-up exercise in Bolgatanga over the weekend.
The exercise formed part of activities marking the National Youth Month and brought together personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana Police Service, the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly, the National Youth Authority (NYA), assembly members, youth groups and students from the Bolgatanga Technical Institute Cadet Corps.
The Minister said the monthly exercise, introduced in line with a directive by President John Dramani Mahama for every first Saturday of the month to be observed as a national sanitation day, required the full participation of all residents.
He noted that, apart from essential service providers such as pharmacies, all businesses were expected to remain closed until the exercise ended.
Mr Atanga said authorities had already closed some shops found operating during Saturday’s exercise and stressed that future violations would attract stricter sanctions.
He urged residents not to limit environmental sanitation to the first Saturday of every month but to make cleanliness a daily responsibility.
“Cleanliness is next to godliness. A clean environment promotes good health, reduces disease and saves families the cost of medical treatment,” he said.
The Minister also warned against indiscriminate dumping of refuse and said both Ghanaians and foreign nationals residing in the region were expected to comply with Ghana’s sanitation laws.
He said the Regional Coordinating Council, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, together with the security agencies, would undertake unannounced sanitation inspections and clean-up exercises to ensure sustained environmental cleanliness.
Mr Francis Takyi-Koranteng, Upper East Regional Director of the National Youth Authority, said the clean-up exercise marked the beginning of National Youth Month activities in the region.
He said the month-long programme would include engagements with religious leaders, participation in the National Youth Conference in Kumasi, a Youth Parliament session and an anti-substance abuse campaign dubbed “Red Me Stop.”
Mr Takyi-Koranteng urged young people to cultivate the habit of proper waste disposal at home, in schools and public places to prevent choked drains and flooding.
