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Founder and Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies, Joseph Siaw Agyepong, has called for stricter enforcement of sanitation bylaws, saying Ghana’s efforts to improve cleanliness will only succeed if authorities clamp down on illegal waste disposal.
His comments come in the wake of President John Dramani Mahama’s directive for a two-day National General Clean-up Exercise following the devastating June 29, 2026 floods that affected parts of Accra and several other regions.
Speaking on the first day of the nationwide exercise on Friday, July 10, Mr. Siaw Agyepong stressed that public education alone would not solve the country’s sanitation challenges without effective enforcement of existing laws.
“It must be enforced; the laws must be enforced,” he said.
“We are going to support the government to ensure the enforcement of bylaws, to ensure that people do the right thing.”
He identified illegal dumping at designated waste collection points as one of the major obstacles to effective waste management, attributing the practice to weak enforcement and poor supervision at some collection centres.
According to him, waste generated by market traders should be deposited in designated containers, while commercial tricycle operators, popularly known as aboboyaa operators, should transport refuse to approved transfer stations rather than dumping it at market collection points.
“The aboboyaa people come and dump here, and then they collect money. They are not supposed to dump here; they are supposed to go to a transfer station,” he said.
Mr. Siaw Agyepong further alleged that some attendants at waste container sites accept money from refuse transporters and allow the illegal practice to continue. He called on Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to strengthen supervision and ensure sanitation regulations are enforced.
“What do you expect the assembly to do? Immediately, the assembly must ensure that the container attendant… only the market people bring their waste here. Apart from them, nobody should bring waste here,” he stated.
He also commended President Mahama for initiating the National General Clean-up Exercise, describing the campaign as a bold demonstration of leadership in addressing the country’s sanitation challenges.
“Every country is the leader that leads, and then sanitation helps,” he said. “President Mahama is leading a very good cause, and we have to appreciate him for the bold step of leadership.”
Mr. Siaw Agyepong added that the President’s plan to revive waste transfer stations would strengthen Ghana’s waste management system but emphasised that improved infrastructure must be matched with consistent enforcement of sanitation laws to achieve lasting results.