Accra, Ghana – President John Dramani Mahama has declared Friday, July 10, and Saturday, July 11, 2026, as National General Cleaning Days across the seven regions affected by the devastating June 29 floods, as the government intensifies efforts to improve sanitation and reduce the risk of future flooding.
The nationwide cleanup exercise follows the floods that claimed about 13 lives and affected more than 7,000 households, leaving widespread destruction in several communities.
The initiative, organised under the auspices of the Post-Flood Mitigation Committee, will be held on the theme, “Our Actions, Our Future: Cleaning Ghana After the Floods.” It aims to mobilise citizens to clean their communities, protect the environment, and help prevent future flood disasters.
Announcing the exercise in a statement issued on Monday, July 6, Government Spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu described the campaign as a critical national intervention and called on all Ghanaians to participate actively.
President Mahama has directed all government appointees, including Ministers of State, Members of Parliament, Chief Executive Officers of state institutions, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), and heads of public institutions, to leave their offices and personally lead cleanup activities in their respective communities.
The two-day exercise will be implemented in phases to ensure effective coordination. On Friday, personnel from the security services, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), and waste management companies will begin the operation. Members of the public are expected to join the exercise on Saturday.
According to the government, the cleanup will focus on desilting choked drains to improve the free flow of water, clearing sand, weeds, and debris from roads and highways, and cleaning public places, including markets, lorry parks, recreational parks, and communal waste collection points.
The statement noted that poor sanitation practices remain one of the major causes of flooding in Ghana.
“For far too long, indiscriminate littering and plastic pollution have clogged our drainage systems, contributing to devastating, preventable floods that destroy livelihoods and claim precious Ghanaian lives,” the statement said.
To ensure the success of the exercise, all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies have been directed to collaborate with waste management companies to provide the necessary logistics, including waste trucks, gloves, shovels, wheelbarrows, and other cleaning equipment.
The assemblies have also been instructed to immediately evacuate all collected refuse and silt to approved disposal sites to prevent waste from being washed back into drainage systems during subsequent rains.
The government is urging residents, civil society organisations, religious bodies, youth groups, and the private sector to actively participate in the cleanup exercise, describing it as a collective responsibility to build cleaner, safer, and more resilient communities across the country.
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