The President says the real test of the Agbogbloshie evacuation is whether the cleared site stays clear, with an urban renewal project planned for the land.
President John Mahama has ordered the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), the Ablekuma Central Municipal Assembly and other local authorities to step up sanitation enforcement so that Agbogbloshie does not return to being an illegal dumping ground once the current clean-up ends.
He gave the directive on Friday, September 18, at the start of the National Emergency Waste Evacuation Exercise at Agbogbloshie in Accra.
The test is what happens after the trucks leave
Mr Mahama said clearing the piled-up refuse is only half the job. In his view, the exercise should be judged by whether assemblies can keep the reclaimed land free of waste afterwards.
He asked the assemblies to work with traditional authorities, community leaders and the security agencies to protect the site, and said enforcement should be firm, fair and continuous. Those measures, he added, should be put in place now while the evacuation is still going on, rather than after it ends.
The President warned that the country cannot keep using public money to clear the same dumps over and over without tackling the habits that create them.
What the cleared land will be used for
According to the President, the site is earmarked for the proposed Agbogbloshie Urban Renewal Project. Portions of the reclaimed land are to be turned into an industrial area intended to host economic activity and create jobs.
Agbogbloshie, on the edge of central Accra, has long been associated with scrap dealing, e-waste and heavy dumping near the Odaw channel, and has been the target of repeated clearing operations over the years.
Equipment moving to other districts
Mr Mahama said government has deployed heavy-duty equipment, trucks, personnel and other resources for the operation.
He also said machinery mobilised under the District Roads Improvement Project (DRIP) \u2014 a government programme that supplies road equipment to district assemblies \u2014 will be moved to other districts and municipalities after Agbogbloshie to support similar waste evacuation exercises where they are needed.
A wider waste plan
Beyond Accra, the President outlined a national waste management programme that includes household waste bins, more transfer stations, engineered landfill sites and expanded recycling infrastructure.
He appealed to residents, traders, businesses and transport operators to dispose of waste properly, saying drains, rivers, lagoons, markets, roadsides and open spaces must be kept clean if communities are to be healthier and more resilient.
Lasting improvement, he said, will depend on three things working together: strong institutions, consistent enforcement and responsible behaviour from citizens.
Why it matters for Ghanaians abroad
For Ghanaians in the United States and elsewhere who follow Accra's flooding and sanitation problems, the practical question is enforcement. Previous clean-ups at Agbogbloshie have been followed by the return of dumping. The promised urban renewal project also has no published timeline or cost in the President's remarks.
Reported first by MyJoyOnline on 2026-09-19. This article was written for our readers based on that report. Follow the link for the original coverage.
