The Mayor of Accra, Hon Michael Kpakpo Allotey, has pledged the Accra Metropolitan Assembly’s (AMA) support for ongoing community-led waste management and environmental restoration efforts around the June 4th Market area at Agbogbloshie, describing the intervention as a practical model that could help transform the city.
The Mayor made the commitment on Thursday, September 24, 2026, during a visit to the area, where he inspected work being undertaken by The Or Foundation and community volunteers to clear waste from a canal that feeds into the Korle Lagoon.
He said the AMA was interested in building a regular waste management arrangement around the intervention and working with the Foundation to sustain the gains made so far.
According to him, the initiative’s success showed that similar interventions could be replicated in other parts of Accra, particularly where communities, civil society organisations and local authorities worked together.
He commended the Foundation for taking on what he described as a difficult but important responsibility, noting that the work went beyond serving a few individuals and was instead improving conditions for an entire community.
He assured the team that the AMA was prepared to work closely with them, adding that the Assembly would provide the necessary institutional support despite its own financial constraints and competing demands.
The Mayor said the Assembly and the Foundation could learn from each other as the partnership developed, stressing that collaboration would be essential if Accra was to achieve lasting improvements in sanitation and environmental management.
The Head of Environmental Justice at The Or Foundation, Katia Osei, said the intervention began after the organisation studied the canal system, community conditions, aerial images and historical patterns around the June 4th Market and the Korle Lagoon.
She disclosed that about 300 metres of the canal had so far been cleared, while erosion barriers and movable plastic barriers had been installed to help control waste movement and protect the canal during heavy rainfall.
The Environmental Field Operations Lead, Mr. David Kwabena Akpablie, said participation in the clean-up effort had continued to grow, with the initial core team expanding and more than 60 community volunteers now supporting activities.
Mr. Akpablie said the intervention was designed as a wider waste management system rather than a one-off clean-up exercise, with waste segregation being undertaken to separate textiles, plastics and other materials recovered from the canal.
The Foundation said its long-term goal was not only to keep the canal clean but also to reclaim and green sections of the surrounding land, while developing systems that could support recycling and a circular economy.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
