Clean-up exercise: Accra will ‘bounce back better’ – Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has appealed to residents of Accra to actively participate in the ongoing National Clean-up Exercise, stressing that collective action is essential to restoring the capital following the devastating floods that recently affected several communities.

The President made the appeal on Saturday, July 11, 2026, while inspecting clean-up activities at Alajo on the second day of the nationwide sanitation campaign.

Commending the public for the strong response so far, President Mahama encouraged those who had not yet joined the exercise to come out and support efforts to restore the city.

Addressing residents and volunteers, President Mahama said the first day of the exercise recorded an impressive turnout, with many people joining the clean-up efforts in their communities.

"I want all of us to remember that today is day two of the national cleaning exercise. Yesterday the turnout was fantastic, very good. People came out and helped to clean their neighbourhoods. Today the turnout is also good, but I'm just calling on those who are still in their houses and haven't come out. Please come out and come and join us so that we clean the city after the flood," he said.

He described the exercise as a shared national responsibility, noting that everyone has a role to play in rebuilding communities affected by the floods.

President Mahama expressed optimism that Accra would recover from the disaster through sustained cooperation between government, local authorities and residents.

"I want to thank everybody who's come out. And those who are still at home, all of you come out. We are doing this together, and Ghana is a resilient country, Accra is a resilient city, and we'll bounce back better than before," he stated.

The National General Clean-up Exercise was introduced by the government as part of broader post-flood recovery measures after severe flooding claimed lives, displaced thousands of residents and caused extensive damage to homes, businesses and public infrastructure.

The President stressed that the exercise goes beyond desilting drains, explaining that authorities are also ensuring that waste removed from drainage channels is transported away instead of being left along roadsides.

According to him, previous clean-up exercises often failed to achieve lasting results because refuse extracted from gutters was not promptly collected, allowing rainfall to wash it back into the drainage system.

"Yesterday, one of the directives I gave was that in the past, we did these cleanups, we took all the garbage out of the gutters, but we didn't follow up and come and collect the garbage that is by the roadside. And so when the rain falls, it just washes all the dirt back in," he explained.

He said government is determined to avoid repeating that mistake by ensuring that waste collected during the exercise is properly disposed of to keep drainage systems clear.

The two-day National General Clean-up Exercise forms part of the government's post-flood mitigation strategy and is being carried out across seven flood-affected regions.

The campaign focuses on desilting drains, clearing refuse from public spaces, removing debris from waterways and improving sanitation to reduce the risk of future flooding and disease outbreaks.

Government officials have described the exercise as the beginning of a sustained national effort to improve environmental sanitation and strengthen flood resilience across the country.