'We never authorised livestock sales on principal streets' - Greater Accra Regional Minister replies

Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, issued a rejoinder on Friday, 29 May 2026, directing media houses to correct the erroneous impression created by broadcasts depicting that the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (GARCC) sanctioned the use of the Kanda Highway and other principal streets in the capital for the sale of livestock. The council stated categorically that neither the GARCC nor the Regional Minister has granted any form of authorisation to any individual, group, or association to engage in the commercial sale of animals on road medians or principal streets within the Accra Metropolis. The GARCC said that it had actually been actively working to dismantle the illegal roadside markets rather than supporting them.

The GARCC said officials embarked on stakeholder engagement sessions, which were subsequently convened by the Regional Minister, after noticing an increasing practice of traders displaying and selling livestock along the Kanda Highway and various road medians. The emergency meeting brought together officials from the Ayawaso East Municipal Assembly, traditional leaders from the affected enclaves, local security heads, and the livestock operators themselves to find an immediate solution to the problem. During the deliberations, serious concerns were raised by the council and traditional authorities regarding the severe safety implications of allowing cattle, goats, and sheep to be traded on busy highway patches.

Consequently, the council said it issued a direct, uncompromising order to the operators, instructing them to remove their livestock from the affected highway locations with immediate effect and relocate all trading activities to more appropriate, designated market areas outside the main traffic arteries. The minister described the subsequent media reports suggesting that the council had approved the practice as highly unfortunate and surprising, especially since they had been at the forefront of stopping it. The Regional Coordinating Council concluded its statement by assuring residents of the Greater Accra Region of its unwavering commitment to public safety, environmental sanitation, and the orderly management of public spaces across the capital.