Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) will close the road from Cocoa Board to Kantamanto in December to provide trading space for sellers without permanent shops, Mayor Michael Kpakpo Allotey has said.
The closure is part of the assembly’s plans for the Central Business District during the Christmas period. A date for the road restrictions has not yet been announced.
Speaking to traders during Accra’s National Sanitation Day exercise on Saturday, Mr Allotey said the decision had been taken in consultation with Local Government Minister Mahama Ayariga.
“We want you to make more sales this December than you have ever done. The Local Government Minister has asked us to block some of the roads to create space for traders who do not have shops to sell their goods. The stretch from Cocoa Board to Kantamanto will be closed,” he said.
He said the temporary trading areas were intended for people who did not have permanent premises, allowing them to sell their goods over Christmas and increase their earnings.
However, traders operating at bus stops have been instructed to leave before Monday, with the AMA saying the removal of traders from bus stops across Accra will begin on Monday, November 9.
The deadline follows a 48-hour notice issued by the assembly on Wednesday. On Thursday, the Union of Informal Workers Associations rejected the notice and threatened to organise a demonstration unless traders were provided with an alternative location.
Mr Allotey said discussions had been held with Mr Ayariga, the Ghana Union of Traders Associations and the Motor Traffic and Transport Department to ensure traffic continued to move during the festive season.
The removals will target bus stops and other areas where trading is not permitted, with the aim of improving access for vehicles and pedestrians.
The mayor also said parts of the Cocoa Board road and the Tudu area would be blocked. Those areas are expected to provide designated places for traders and reduce trading at bus stops.
The AMA has not specified which lanes will be closed, or confirmed whether the sections in Tudu form part of the Cocoa Board-to-Kantamanto stretch.
Mr Allotey praised traders for supporting the sanitation exercise and said they would be allowed to resume trading at 10:00 a.m., rather than waiting until 12:00 noon. The assembly’s notice on Friday had said the exercise in the metropolis would continue until noon.
Korle Klottey Municipal Chief Executive Alfred Allotey-Gaisie said traders using bus stops around Kingsway and the Cocoa Board area would be affected by the measures. He added that some busy roads in the municipality would be closed to create space for Christmas trading.
In May 2025, Mr Allotey led an assembly team, working with the Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly, to clear congestion at Kantamanto, Tudu and the Kinbu Senior High Tech area. He said the operation would continue through Adabraka towards Circle and Kaneshie.
