Commentary on the decongestion exercise in Accra

Accra, the capital city is undoubtedly breathing a new lease of life following the decongestion exercise embarked upon by the Metropolitan Authorities. The major, Alfred Vanderpuiye and indeed all Assembly members deserve a pat on their back for the efficient manner they have pulled the chestnut out of the fire with fairly little fanfare. Today the pavements are deserted, traffic is flowing and order has been restored to the hitherto chaotic central Business District of Accra.

As the nation prepares for the Centenary celebrations of Ghana's first President, Osagyfo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the AMA has no alternative than to clear all the mess in the city center and beyond. It behoves every resident to get involved so that Accra will look more like a capital city. With the experience of previous exercises to guide us, the AMA owes it a duty to resist any attempt by “the powers that be” to interfere in the decongestion programme.

All unauthorized structures must be razed to the ground to bring some level of sanity to the city. This will forestall the haphazard putting up of structures in Accra. The city authorities must be commended for having the political will to start the exercise in the first place and also tackling the notorious brothel called “soldier bar”. Now that the goodwill and support have been generated, the Authorities should quickly move in to relocate slum communities like Sodom and Gommorah and Abuja, which are known dens for criminal activities. With Sodom and Gommorah for instance, its relocation will ensure the speedy completion of the Korle Lagoon Restoration project which government has contracted huge amounts of loans to carry out.

The exercise will not be complete without taking a second look at the way certain fitting shops have been sited. Besides, car washing on the streets and the sale of cars on pavements as well as vegetable gardens along the drains on the ceremonial streets must be outlawed. The AMA must rehabilitate all its satellite markets and move all hawkers and itenerant traders into them.

With reference to this, the Achimota, Osu, La, Nungua, Dansoman, Mallam-Atta, Nima and Maamobi markets quickly come to mind.  In addition, traders of the Salaga market must be made to vacate the streets and move into the main market because their continued occupation of the streets to sell their wares is, to put it, mildly a nuisance. Hawkers who have hijacked the Kaneshie footbridges and those operating under them must all be ruthlessly ejected. It is probably good that the rains have exposed the vulnerable spots in the city.

The authorities must sustain the current exercise but as well work to bring our drainage system to modern standards, to stop the flooding. They must mount an intensive education to raise the awareness of residents of the dangers in putting refuse into the drains. The choked drains in the city must be immediately desilted and garbage containers put at vantage points for people to empty their refuse.   

With proper planning coupled with good supervision, Accra could in no time be counted among the modern capital cities in the world. It is unfortunate the recognition that Accra has in the international circles, has not been matched by the beauty, order and discipline normally expected of a modern metropolis. It is about time we give Accra an image befitting its role and status. The onus rests on all of us to leave a legacy of a great and beautiful metropolis for generations yet unborn. Let's make this our immediate agenda, nothing more, nothing less.

BY JUSTICE MINGLE, A JOURNALIST