Between 40% and 60% of the more than 10,000 billboards in Accra are illegal, according to the Advertising Association of Ghana (AAG), which has blamed weak enforcement by local assemblies.
AAG president Andrew Ackah told the Citi Breakfast Show on Wednesday, November 4, that many signs breached traffic and building regulations, while others raised concerns about their structural integrity and the materials used.
The association funded its own survey, mapping billboards across the capital before checking them against the law and technical requirements for outdoor advertising.
“We counted over 10,000 billboards. What we did was technically use this database and then superimpose it on the law and the guiding document,” Mr Ackah said.
He said the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), which issue outdoor advertising permits, were responsible for ensuring signs met the required standards.
The relevant guidance, Advertisement Specification for Outdoor Signs, is issued by the Ghana Standards Authority and is known as GS 847:2019. Mr Ackah said the authority had developed it with stakeholder input, but that the assemblies were failing to enforce it.
The standard requires billboards to comply with the Ghana Building Code, withstand wind and earthquake loads, and have certified drawings approved by the relevant assembly. It also sets spacing requirements based on speed limits, prohibits signs on road medians and restricts advertising on pedestrian walkways and cycle paths.
Roadside billboards are also covered by road safety legislation. In August 2025, the Ministry of Roads and Highways said an unauthorised sign at Accra’s Flowerpot Interchange breached GS 847:2019, the Road Traffic Act (Act 540) and the Road Traffic Regulations (LI 2180). It told assemblies to consult regional road agencies before approving advertising beside roads.
An AAG audit, including a 2024 exercise conducted under the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), found more than 300 billboards along the 13-kilometre route from Accra Mall through Spintex Road to Sakumono Junction. The standard allows no more than 100 on that stretch.
Liberation Road, the roads around Accra Mall, the 37 Military Hospital intersection, Kawukudi and the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange towards Adentan were identified as among the capital’s most congested areas for billboards.
Mr Ackah said in July 2024 that the association could not identify the owners of 75% of billboards on Spintex Road because they were not AAG members. He compared the industry with real estate, saying boards and pipes were inexpensive to install and could generate monthly income, encouraging some operators to avoid obtaining permits.
“Why are assemblies giving permits for people to do the wrong thing when you know what the law says?” he asked at the time.
Safety concerns were highlighted when a billboard collapsed on to four vehicles at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium’s Heroes Park in Kumasi during the NPP’s National Delegates Conference on Saturday, October 3. No injuries were reported.
In October, Queenstar Maame Pokuah Sawyerr, chairperson of Parliament’s Local Government and Rural Development Committee, called on Accra Mayor Michael Kpakpo Allotey to remove unauthorised billboards because they could obstruct drivers’ views.
The Ministry of Local Government has since formed a multi-agency technical committee to regulate outdoor signage, with demolitions beginning in major cities.
The AAG backed a lawful clean-up but said in February that it lacked a clear framework. “There has been no published phased plan, no documented categorisation of structures,” Mr Ackah said.
On April 28, Deputy Local Government Minister Rita Naa Odoley Sowah gave MMDCEs in Greater Accra seven days to remove unauthorised billboards. AAG executive director Isaac Cudjoe welcomed the directive but said consistent enforcement was essential.
The Outdoor Advertisers Association later petitioned the government in May to stop demolitions of median signs, arguing that many members had assembly permits and paid taxes. “We don’t need a total ban; we need smart regulation,” it said, calling for phased relocation and permits aligned with road safety rules.
The latest AAG survey comes six months after the ultimatum to clear unauthorised billboards from Greater Accra.
