When Warnings Fail: Must Ghana Get Tough to Get Clean?

For years, Ghanaians have heard the same message: Keep the environment clean. Do not build on waterways. Trade only in designated markets. Obtain building permits before construction. Dispose of waste responsibly.

The warnings have been endless. Public education campaigns have been relentless. Governments have invested millions in sanitation awareness. Religious leaders have preached it. Traditional rulers have spoken about it. The media has echoed it.

Yet, many citizens continue to ignore these warnings.

The recent National Sanitation Day exercise exposed a troubling reality. Even after prior notice had been given, some traders defiantly occupied prohibited areas, obstructing public spaces and refusing to vacate until law enforcement officers intervened. Some continued to dump refuse indiscriminately despite the availability of designated disposal sites. Others have erected structures on waterways, while many buildings continue to spring up without the legally required permits.

The uncomfortable question confronting Ghana today is this:

Should radical enforcement become the only remedy for our national indiscipline?

This is not a call for brutality or abuse of power. Rather, it is a call for consistency in enforcing the laws we already have. A nation cannot function when laws are treated merely as suggestions.

Unfortunately, Ghana has gradually developed a dangerous culture where compliance is often seen as optional until force is applied. Too many people obey the law only when they fear immediate consequences. This mindset undermines national development and places enormous pressure on authorities who are simply trying to maintain order.

Take sanitation as an example. Flooding in many communities is no longer solely the result of heavy rainfall. Choked gutters, plastic waste, and buildings erected across drainage channels have become major contributors. Every rainy season, lives are lost and property destroyed—not because solutions are unknown, but because regulations are ignored.

The same applies to urban planning. Building without permits, encroaching on public lands, and developing within waterways have become commonplace. Yet when demolition exercises begin, public sympathy often shifts toward the offenders rather than toward the law that was violated.

This cycle must end.
A nation that continually rewards indiscipline eventually punishes law-abiding citizens. Traders who pay for legal market spaces cannot fairly compete with those who illegally occupy roadsides. Builders who spend time and money obtaining permits should not be disadvantaged by those who disregard the law entirely. Citizens who properly dispose of waste should not suffer floods caused by those who dump rubbish into drains.

Law enforcement must therefore become predictable, impartial, and unwavering. Every citizen, regardless of status, wealth, or political affiliation, must understand that violations carry consequences.

However, enforcement alone is not enough.
Government agencies must ensure that waste disposal facilities are accessible and reliable. Local authorities must process building permits efficiently and transparently. Markets must be adequately planned to accommodate traders. Education campaigns should continue, especially among young people, so that discipline becomes part of our national culture rather than a response to fear.

Ultimately, Ghana's challenge is not the absence of laws. It is the inconsistent enforcement of those laws and the unwillingness of many citizens to respect them voluntarily.

The National Sanitation Day should serve as more than a monthly exercise. It should be a national awakening.

A clean Ghana is not created by government alone. It is built by disciplined citizens.

Warnings have been issued for decades. If warnings continue to fail, firm and fair enforcement may no longer be a choice—it may become a necessity.

The question is no longer whether Ghana should enforce its laws. The real question is whether we are prepared to accept that discipline is the price of national development.

By Rexford Adjei Darko

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