Government may have a really firm stance on transforming the city of Accra into a really clean one but perhaps the mindset and nonchalance of Ghanaians may be a major setback to that vision.

Such attitude is depicted in a video that was captured by Ghanaweb’s camera Saturday March 3 during a cleanup exercise.

While the team from Accra Metropolitan Assembly and Zoomlion busily went about clearing the filth around the Paloma Hotel, one man, obviously unperturbed by the activities of the team was captured squatting comfortably and defecating in a gutter nearby.

The team doing the cleaning surprisingly also seemed unconcerned, they watched on as the man ‘did his thing’ after which he majestically walked off to wash his hands with a bottle of water.

It leaves the question unanswered if these occasional cleanup exercises really will contribute to the vision of making Accra the cleanest city in West Africa or otherwise.

The cleanup exercise forms part of government efforts to keep the city clean and rid the capital of filth in line with the President’s vision of a ‘clean Accra’.

This comes on the heels of massive criticism directed at Sanitation Minister Kofi Adda for failure to do his job; keeping the city clean as many parts of the country still are engulfed in dirt.



Meanwhile, the Minister who was with an entourage of government officials and dignitaries from Zoomlion Ghana Ltd joined the team to tour some of the areas where the cleanup was taking place and called for an attitudinal change to sanitation.

He urged the public to stop putting up illegal structures that worsen the sanitation situation in Accra.

“Those who are in the wrong places – who are there illegally – should move out of those places…you members of the press should do your part in supporting us. You have to come here periodically to and see what is going on.

“If you catch anybody to littering or defecating or urinating openly you have to bring that person to book. Take a picture of them and put in the print media or on TV…then we know who is [breaking the law],” Kofi Adda told journalists during the tour.

AMA Chief Executive, Mohammed Adjei Sowah and Executive Chairman of Jospong Group, Joseph Siaw Agyepong, were among the dignitaries who toured the sites being cleaned.