Mr Kwamena Duncan, the Central Regional Minister on Friday led a massive clean-up exercise along the major highways in the Region to clear the filth that had engulfed the highways.

The four hours exercise was replicated simultaneously in all the 22 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) with the supervision of the various Chief Executives.

The initiative dubbed “Opearation keep the highways clean” brought together key partners including Zoomlion Company Limited, security agencies, heads of departments, schools and the public.

They cleared and desilted gutters along the streets and swept lorry stations and markets.

The move was geared towards effectively disposing off the highways of garbage and fifth, which was a drawback to the Region's effort to ensure environmental cleanliness.

It formed part of initiatives to befit the Region's status as the tourism heartbeat of the country and the most preferred investments destination as this year marks the "Year of Return" for Africans in the Diaspora.

Various transport operators descended into gutters and cleared their stations of all filth as the lorry stations were deserted with commuters anxiously waiting for the exercise to end as

Mr. Duncan in an interview with the media said the exercise would be extended to cover the coastal stretch of the Region among others and urged the public to keep the environment clean to prevent the outbreak of preventable diseases such as cholera and malaria.

He called on members of the public to desist from indiscriminate disposal of plastic waste, saying it was one of the challenges facing the Region. "We must learn to change our attitude towards sanitation to help in the fight against the menace confronting the nation".

The Minister expressed gratitude to all stakeholders for supporting the initiative and added that the clean-up exercise should be sustained.