Accra decongestion exercise just a nine-day wonder – Zaato

A Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr. Joshua Jebuntie Zaato, has expressed strong doubts about the sustainability of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly’s (AMA) latest decongestion drive, describing it as another short-term effort likely to fail without a comprehensive, long-term strategy.

Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Thursday, May 22, Dr. Zaato expressed scepticism about the long-term impact of the operation, arguing that it is yet another short-lived attempt to address a recurring urban management problem.

“If you are decongesting Makola or Accra Central, these traders, especially those on the street, are very mobile. They can move to another market and take over another street. That is why I am saying we need a very holistic policy that takes an ‘all-of-the-above’ approach.”

Dr. Zaato further questioned the political will behind the initiative, warning that without sustained commitment, the efforts would fizzle out like similar campaigns in the past.

“I hope that this is not a nine-day wonder. I hope this thing doesn’t end with one mayor. But so far, nothing shows me that it is not a nine-day wonder. Everything shows me that it is going to end spectacularly, just like it did in the past years,” he stated.

His comments follow the AMA’s renewed efforts to clear unauthorised traders from streets and pavements in a bid to restore order and improve sanitation in the city centre. On Tuesday, May 20, a task force from the Assembly, supported by the Ghana Police Service, dismantled makeshift stalls and removed hawkers occupying key parts of the Central Business District.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive of the AMA, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, has assured that trading spaces will be created within the next two months to accommodate hawkers affected by the exercise. This, he said, is to ensure a more structured and humane approach to urban space management.

Despite these promises, Dr. Zaato believes that without a well-planned, city-wide policy framework backed by consistent enforcement, the decongestion efforts will remain temporary.