President John Dramani Mahama has declared Friday, July 10, and Saturday, July 11, as National General Cleaning Days in the seven regions affected by the June 29 floods, as government intensifies efforts to improve sanitation and reduce the risk of future flooding.
The two-day exercise, organised by the Post-Flood Mitigation Committee under the theme “Our Actions, Our Future: Cleaning Ghana after the floods,” is expected to bring together citizens, public institutions, security agencies and local authorities in a nationwide cleanup effort.
The June 29 floods claimed about 13 lives and displaced thousands of residents, with more than 7,000 households affected by the disaster.
In a statement issued on Monday, Government Spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu said the exercise forms part of government’s post-flood recovery and prevention measures, urging all Ghanaians to actively participate in restoring their communities.
President Mahama has instructed all government appointees—including Ministers, Members of Parliament, Chief Executive Officers of state institutions, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), and heads of public institutions—to leave their offices and lead cleanup activities within their respective communities.
The operation will be carried out in two phases. On Friday, personnel from the security services, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), together with waste management companies, will begin the cleanup, while the general public will join the exercise on Saturday.
Key activities will include desilting clogged drains, removing sand, weeds and debris from roads and highways, and cleaning public spaces such as markets, lorry parks, recreational centres and communal waste collection sites.
Government says the initiative is intended to tackle poor sanitation practices, particularly indiscriminate littering and plastic waste, which continue to block drainage systems and contribute to avoidable flooding.
To facilitate the exercise, all MMDAs have been directed to work closely with waste management companies to provide waste trucks, gloves, shovels and other cleaning equipment, while ensuring the prompt disposal of all refuse and silt collected during the exercise.
Government is encouraging citizens to participate fully, stressing that collective action is key to building cleaner communities and preventing future flood-related disasters.
