The Mayor of Accra, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, has directed traders operating within the Central Business District (CBD) to sweep their immediate surroundings every hour as part of efforts to sustain cleanliness in the capital.

The directive is aimed at ensuring that the gains made through the monthly National Sanitation Day (NSD) exercise are maintained throughout the month.

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), in a Facebook post on Monday, September 7, said the Mayor issued the directive on Saturday, September 5, during an inspection of the September NSD exercise with the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga.

The inspection began at the Kinbu Traffic Light and continued through Tudu and other principal streets in the metropolis.

The exercise was intended to assess compliance among traders and businesses and encourage them to maintain the cleanliness achieved during the sanitation exercise.

Addressing traders at Tudu, Michael Kpakpo Allotey said the National Sanitation Day was now a permanent initiative but stressed that efforts to keep Accra clean must extend beyond the first Saturday of every month.

He urged traders to take responsibility for the cleanliness of the areas where they operate by regularly sweeping and removing litter throughout the day.

The Mayor said sweeping every hour would help prevent waste from accumulating in the busy commercial district and contribute to a cleaner and healthier Accra.

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The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, says 4,972 Ghanaians have been repatriated from various countries to Ghana since 2025.

He said the repatriations followed interventions by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ghana’s diplomatic missions and international partners to assist Ghanaians who found themselves in distress abroad.

Addressing journalists on Monday, September 7, Ablakwa said, “Beyond the recent evacuations from South Africa, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, its diplomatic missions and our international partners have actively intervened across multiple countries to repatriate Ghanaians in distress. Since 2025 to date, a total of 4,972 Ghanaians have been successfully repatriated to Ghana.

“This figure is an accumulation of the following: 3,807 from Libya, 440 from Côte d’Ivoire (victims of QNET and demolition exercise), 246 from Nigeria (QNET victims), 244 from Cambodia, 201 from Algeria, 18 from Kuwait, 8 from Sierra Leone, 5 from Mauritius, 2 from Morocco and 1 from Iraq,” he stated.

Mr Ablakwa said the recurring repatriation operations placed a significant financial and logistical burden on the government, making it necessary to establish a Ghanaian Diaspora Consular Fund.

According to him, the proposed fund would provide a dedicated and sustainable emergency funding mechanism to enable the government to respond promptly to situations involving Ghanaians in distress abroad.

He said the fund would help Ghana mobilise resources to safeguard the rights, dignity and welfare of its citizens.

The Foreign Affairs Minister also cautioned Ghanaians, particularly the youth, to be wary of illegal recruitment agencies and human trafficking networks that lure people abroad with promises of better opportunities.

He said similar schemes had contributed to the involvement of some Ghanaians in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, resulting in deaths and detentions.

“It is a similar situation that has led to 62 Ghanaians losing their lives in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with another 15 missing.”

Mr Ablakwa added that Ukrainian authorities were currently holding two Ghanaians as prisoners of war, although negotiations for their release were progressing positively.

He said the government had intensified efforts to clamp down on illegal recruitment agencies and human trafficking networks responsible for exploiting unsuspecting Ghanaians.

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