Yesterday morning, Accra and some parts of the country looked different.
Armed with brooms, rakes, shovels and wheelbarrows, residents, sanitation workers and security personnel fanned out across the communities.
The usual rush of traders gave way to an army of cleaners.
Police and soldiers worked side by side with AMA street sweepers in reflective vests and with volunteers in casual clothes.
Garbage trucks stood by to cart away heaps the moment they were assembled.
The two-day National Sanitation and Cleanliness exercise was directed by President John Dramani Mahama following the recent floods that claimed lives and displaced hundreds.
For once, the directive was obeyed. Shops stayed closed till 1 p.m.
People came out.
The city got cleaner.
The question now is simple: will Accra look like this on Monday?
What we saw yesterday proves a point we have refused to accept for years: we can keep Ghana clean.
The Kwame Nkrumah Interchange, one of the most congested and dirtiest intersections in West Africa, was described by a trader as “the cleanest I’ve ever seen.”
Pavements were swept.
Medians were cleared.
Drains were opened.
The difference was not new technology.
It was people, political will, and enforcement.
For years, we have had sanitation bylaws.
We have had clean-up campaigns.
What we have not had is consistent punishment.
Big men build on watercourses and get “appeals.”
Market queens dump waste and are left alone.
Only the poor hawker is chased.
If “no mercy” means no mercy for everyone — landlord, developer, trader, and official — then we may finally see change.
The demolitions must continue.
The fines must be collected. And the revenue must go back into waste management.
Yes, the rains brought more debris from upstream.
But waiting for a flood to desilt is like waiting for a fire to buy a fire extinguisher.
Assemblies must have quarterly desilting plans before the rainy season.
They must publish which drains were cleared, when, and with what budget.
Citizens must be able to track it.
Declare the first Friday of every month a national clean-up morning from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.
No special launch. Just do it.
Let every assembly member be responsible for their electoral area.
Let churches, mosques, schools and market associations “adopt” a street or drain.
Enforce. Prosecute.
Publish the names of offenders.
At the same time, reward communities that keep their areas clean with recognition and small grants.
Provide bins in markets and lorry parks.
Ensure regular waste collection.
Separate organic waste where possible.
Sanitation is not a government project; it is a social contract.
I keep my compound clean.
You don’t dump in my gutter.
The assembly collects the waste.
That is how it works in countries we admire.
We cannot talk about “Resetting Ghana” and “Ghana Beyond Aid” while living in filth.
Investors don’t come to dirty cities.
Tourists don’t return to plastic-filled beaches.
And our children deserve better than to wade through floodwater because the drains were silted.
President Mahama has given the country a jolt.
The floods gave us a reason.
Yesterday and today gave us proof that when we decide, we can act.
