Security personnel in the Kumasi Metropolis enforced compliance during the just-ended nationwide clean-up exercise, compelling traders in parts of the Central Business District (CBD) to participate in the sanitation drive.
The exercise recorded mixed levels of participation across the city’s major commercial centres, with some residents and traders actively joining the effort while others attempted to evade the exercise.
At Alabar and the Central Market areas, security officers and officials of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) led efforts to desilt choked gutters and clear drainage systems as part of measures to reduce flooding risks in the metropolis.
Traders who initially attempted to sit out the exercise were reportedly directed by security personnel to join the clean-up activities and assist with the sanitation efforts.
Business activities in parts of Adum, Achemfuo Market and around the Ellis Building came to a temporary halt as many shops remained closed during the exercise.
However, some traders gathered outside their shops awaiting the conclusion of the exercise, while a few petty traders continued business operations despite the restrictions.
At the Kejetia Market, crowds assembled at the facility’s main entrances following a temporary closure of the market as traders waited to resume their daily activities.
Despite the challenges, several traders actively participated in the exercise, using brooms and other cleaning tools to sweep streets and clear refuse from public spaces.
Speaking after the exercise, the Mayor of Kumasi, Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi, described the second phase of the national sanitation campaign as successful, noting that the desilting of drains and waterways would contribute significantly to addressing the city’s perennial flooding challenges.
He urged traders and residents to take greater responsibility for maintaining environmental cleanliness and encouraged them to support efforts to enforce sanitation regulations.
The Mayor further warned that the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly would not tolerate indiscriminate dumping of refuse and indicated that sanctions would be imposed on persons found violating environmental sanitation laws in the metropolis.
