MP urges Accra Assembly to remove unauthorised billboards on major roads

Queenstar Pokuah Sawyerr, chairperson of Parliament’s Committee on Local Government and Decentralisation, has called on the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to take immediate action to remove unauthorised billboards and signboards erected along major roads in the Ghanaian capital.

According to multiple reports, Sawyerr instructed the AMA to crack down on these structures, which she says are improperly sited and proliferating along key arteries in Accra. The requests came during the committee’s oversight activities aimed at addressing urban management and road-user concerns.

Road safety concern flagged

One outlet reported the committee warned that the unauthorised billboards and signboards pose a danger to motorists because many of the structures block drivers’ views. That report described the situation as a road-safety risk and said Parliament had urged the AMA to move quickly to mitigate those hazards.

The three reports reviewed agreed on the central call for the AMA to act, but they differed in the level of detail provided about the safety implications. Two sources focused on the committee’s directive that the AMA remove unauthorised signage; one explicitly linked the billboards to road-safety risks by saying they obstruct motorists’ sightlines.

Why this matters

Unauthorised billboards along busy roads can affect visibility, distract drivers, and complicate traffic management. The committee’s intervention signals parliamentary concern about urban planning, public safety, and enforcement of local regulations. For the AMA, the call presents an immediate governance task: identifying which structures are unauthorised, assessing safety impacts, and carrying out removals or enforcement actions while following legal and administrative procedures.

What happens next

The reports do not include a response from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly or details on a timetable for enforcement. They also do not specify how many billboards are involved, where precisely they are located, or whether any notices have been issued to owners or advertisers.

Parliament’s committee has the remit to oversee local government and decentralisation matters, and its appeal to the AMA highlights ongoing issues around signage regulation in Accra. Further reporting would be needed to document any removal operations, AMA statements, or measures to prevent future unauthorised installations.

Until the AMA provides its response or follow-up action is reported, the committee’s call remains an instruction from Parliament’s oversight body urging the city authority to take immediate steps to address the unauthorised signage on Accra’s roads.