Accra Sets November 14 Crackdown on Unauthorised Billboards, Owners Given One Week to Identify Structures

Billboard operators in Accra have until Friday, November 13, to display their company names and identification details on every advertising structure they own, or risk having the installations classified as unclaimed and earmarked for removal in a sweeping joint enforcement exercise scheduled for the following day.

The Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, working with the Advertising Association of Ghana (AAG), announced the directive in a joint statement issued on November 5. The inspection on November 14 will deploy teams from the Ministry, the AAG, the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) and security personnel across selected high-density corridors in the capital to audit structures and commence physical removals .

Any billboard that remains unidentified after the November 13 deadline will be presumed unclaimed or potentially unauthorised and may be targeted for removal, the statement said . The exercise will be guided by the GSA's GS-847:2019, Second Edition, which sets specifications for the mounting and installation of outdoor advertising structures .

Scale of Non-Compliance

The crackdown follows disclosures by AAG President Andrew Ackah that an association-led assessment identified more than 10,000 billboards across Accra, with between 40 and 60 percent estimated to be illegal or non-compliant . Ackah said the association mapped the structures using its own resources and compared their locations and installations against applicable laws and technical guidelines, uncovering violations relating to traffic and building regulations, as well as concerns about structural integrity and materials used in some installations .

He attributed the situation partly to weak enforcement by the assemblies responsible for issuing permits and monitoring outdoor advertising. "We realised that between 40 to 60 per cent of these billboards are illegal because they flout those rules," Ackah said on Citi FM .

The GSA standard requires every billboard to comply with the Ghana Building Code, withstand wind and seismic loads, and have assembly-approved certified drawings. It also sets spacing rules based on road speed limits, prohibits signs on road medians, and restricts advertising on pedestrian walkways and cycle paths .

Permitting Requirements and Enforcement Gaps

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly's permit requirements for outdoor advertising include structural drawings endorsed by a certified architect or engineer, evidence of insurance cover, written consent from property owners where installations are proposed on private land, and geotechnical studies . Applicants must also submit a photo montage and GPS coordinates of proposed locations, and approvals are subject to inspection and recommendation by a Technical Sub-Committee before final decision by the Accra Metropolitan Spatial Planning Committee .

Despite these requirements, enforcement has remained inconsistent. Local Government Minister Mahama Ayariga has tasked the AAG with submitting a blueprint identifying illegal billboard installations to enable the assemblies to act. "He should present his blueprint and also assist me. I mean, I'm new, so he should help me identify which billboards are legal and which ones are illegal. I will give directives to the assemblies to pull down all the illegal ones," Ayariga said on Citi Breakfast Show .

Shift Toward Electronic Displays

The November 14 exercise is expected to mark the start of a sustained programme rather than a one-off operation. Periodic inspections and enforcement will continue in Accra before being extended to other regions in collaboration with the respective MMDAs .

Separately, the government is considering restricting conventional billboard installations in certain locations, particularly around roundabouts and road junctions, in favour of electronic displays. Ayariga argued that the concentration of advertising structures at such locations can obstruct motorists' view of approaching vehicles and create difficulties for road users .

"Permitted for me is not an issue. The issue is that those billboards should not be there. We are in the process of reaching a conclusion that would allow only electronic billboards to be erected in certain areas," Ayariga said . He added that electronic displays could allow advertising companies to show multiple adverts on a single structure instead of installing several conventional billboards in the same area, and that the Ministry was prepared to engage the AAG on the proposed changes .

The Ministry has urged advertising companies, billboard owners and property owners to meet the identification deadline and cooperate with the inspection teams, while asking the public and media to support the operation.