AMA sanitation court convicts three over open defecation, illegal dumping

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) Sanitation Court has convicted three individuals for sanitation offences, including open defecation and illegal waste disposal, as part of a renewed enforcement drive to tackle Ghana’s capital city’s persistent waste management challenges.

Jonathan Doku and Alhassan Seidu were each fined 60 penalty units after pleading guilty to open defecation, with a default sentence of two months’ imprisonment. In a separate case, Joshua Adjei was fined 50 penalty units for dumping refuse at an unauthorised location.

The convictions mark the latest in a series of court actions by the AMA, which has stepped up monitoring and prosecution of sanitation by-laws violators amid growing public health concerns.

Authorities say open defecation remains a major worry due to its direct link to disease outbreaks, environmental pollution, and the degradation of public spaces in densely populated communities across the metropolis.

Speaking after the rulings, the AMA’s Head of Public Affairs, Gilbert Nii Ankrah, said the Assembly would sustain its enforcement campaign and warned that offenders would continue to face prosecution as a deterrent.

“Environmental Health Officers, under the leadership of Florence Kuukyi, have been tasked to intensify monitoring and enforcement across the metropolis,” Mr Ankrah stated, adding that the crackdown targets individuals and groups who flout sanitation regulations.

The Assembly has appealed to residents to make use of approved toilet facilities and to dispose of waste only at designated collection points, stressing that improving sanitation requires collective responsibility.

Officials say the ongoing exercise is part of broader measures to restore environmental discipline in Accra and safeguard public health, following repeated concerns over sanitation standards in the city.