No Ghanaian Should Ever Be Treated Like Trash… Mansa Musa writes

There is one principle that should never be open to debate: no Ghanaian should ever be treated like trash in his or her own country. Regardless of social status, ethnicity, religion, political affiliation, or economic circumstance, every Ghanaian deserves dignity, decency, and respect. No citizen should be made to feel helpless, abandoned, or worthless in the land of their birth.

The disturbing scenes we continue to witness across Ghana—petty traders crying as bulldozers flatten their stalls, families watching helplessly as their homes are reduced to rubble, and ordinary citizens pleading with officials who show little compassion—should trouble the conscience of every decent person. These are not merely enforcement exercises; they are human tragedies.

Let us be clear: government has every right, and indeed a duty, to enforce the law. Illegal structures cannot be allowed to flourish indefinitely, and land earmarked for roads, schools, hospitals, flood prevention, or other public projects must sometimes be reclaimed. No reasonable person disputes that. What is unacceptable is the manner in which these exercises are too often carried out.

The law must never become an excuse for cruelty.

Far too often, state institutions act as though citizens are obstacles to be removed rather than people whose lives will be profoundly affected by official decisions. Homes are demolished with inadequate notice. Businesses are destroyed without meaningful alternatives. Livelihoods disappear overnight. Then the authorities move on, leaving behind devastated families to fend for themselves.

That is not effective governance. It is administrative failure.

A government should never measure the success of a redevelopment project solely by how quickly buildings are demolished. It should also be judged by how humanely it treats the people whose lives are disrupted in the process. Development that strips citizens of their dignity is neither enlightened nor sustainable.

Every relocation exercise should begin with planning—not demolition.

Authorities should identify everyone who will be affected, gather accurate data, consult communities, communicate openly, and establish a clear plan from beginning to end. Citizens must receive adequate notice to make alternative arrangements. Those with nowhere to go should not simply be abandoned; they should receive practical assistance to relocate. This is not charity—it is responsible governance.

The most painful images are often those of market women and small traders, many of whom survive from one day’s sales to the next. When their stalls are destroyed without alternatives, the consequences extend far beyond the loss of wooden structures. Children’s school fees go unpaid. Rent cannot be met. Families struggle to put food on the table. Entire households are pushed deeper into poverty.

For many Ghanaians, a market stall is not just a business. It is survival.

Good governance cannot exist without empathy.

Too many public officials appear to believe that compassion is someone else’s responsibility. It is not. Leadership is exercised at every level of government. Directors, chief executives, municipal and district officials, and heads of public agencies are employed not merely to enforce regulations but to solve problems intelligently and humanely. They should not have to wait for directives from the Presidency before demonstrating initiative, professionalism, and common sense.

Competent public administration anticipates hardship and works to reduce it.

Where I live, if a market requires redevelopment, authorities consult traders long before work begins. If closure is unavoidable, they phase the project carefully. One section remains operational while another is renovated. Traders are relocated in stages, allowing them to continue earning an income. Once one section is complete, traders move into the renovated area while work continues elsewhere.

This approach is not revolutionary. It is simply good planning.

Ghana can, and should, do the same.
At a time when jobs are scarce and the cost of living continues to rise, governments at every level have a moral obligation to protect people’s ability to earn an honest living. Development should improve lives, not destroy them. Progress should never leave citizens poorer, more desperate, and more resentful than before.

A nation does not prove its strength by how efficiently it demolishes buildings. It proves its character by how it treats the weakest and most vulnerable among its people.

If the state has the power to remove people, it also has the responsibility to relocate them with dignity. If it has the authority to reclaim land, it also has the duty to protect livelihoods wherever reasonably possible. Power without compassion breeds resentment. Authority without humanity breeds injustice.

Ghana deserves better.
The measure of a civilised society is not how it treats the powerful, but how it treats those with the least voice. Every demolition exercise, every relocation programme, and every redevelopment project should reflect this simple truth.

I repeat, without apology: no Ghanaian deserves to be treated like trash. Every Ghanaian deserves respect. Every Ghanaian deserves dignity. Every Ghanaian deserves humane treatment.

That is not too much to ask. It is the minimum that citizenship in a democratic nation should guarantee.