Government Begins Nationwide Billboard Crackdown Saturday; Non-Compliant Structures Face Demolition

The government will on Saturday, November 14, 2026, begin a nationwide billboard inspection and enforcement exercise, with structures found in breach of prescribed standards and regulatory requirements facing demolition, the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs has confirmed.

The exercise, undertaken in collaboration with the Advertising Association of Ghana (AAG), the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and other stakeholders, follows a November 5 directive requiring all billboard owners and outdoor advertising companies to display their names and company details on their structures by Friday, November 13 .

In a press release dated November 13, Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs Mahama Ayariga said the exercise would commence as scheduled, warning that any billboard found to violate the required standards and regulatory provisions would be pulled down .

The Identification Ultimatum

The directive issued earlier this month required assemblies to submit records of companies and individuals authorised to erect billboards, together with their approved locations, between November 5 and 13 . Ayariga said a survey had revealed that several billboards did not display the names of their owners, making it difficult for authorities to identify those responsible.

The absence of ownership details, he suggested, could indicate that a billboard had been erected without the necessary permit or that its owner was avoiding accountability. Even billboards with valid permits would be removed if found to be installed at locations different from those approved .

Scrap materials from dismantled illegal billboards will be handed to the Scrap Dealers Association for sale, while assemblies will bill owners for the cost of removal .

Standards Under Enforcement

The crackdown will enforce the Ghana Standards Authority's GS-847 (2019, Second Edition), which governs the structural integrity, safe installation and spatial clearances for outdoor advertising signs . Key provisions include requirements that billboard structures be designed in accordance with the Ghana Building Code, withstand wind and seismic forces, and be supported by certified engineering drawings approved by the Works Departments of the assemblies before installation .

On spacing, billboards on roads with a speed limit of 100 kilometres per hour must be at least 500 metres apart, with shorter regulated distances prescribed for roads with lower speed limits. Signs mounted on road medians are prohibited, and street furniture advertising must not obstruct pedestrian walkways or cycle paths .

An audit conducted in 2024 under the auspices of the National Road Safety Authority found that a 13-kilometre stretch from the Accra Mall through Spintex Road to Sakumono Junction had over 300 billboards, far exceeding the number permitted under the standard. Many structures lacked structural integrity, blocked traffic signs and lights, and posed risks to motorists and pedestrians .

Industry Concerns

The AAG has expressed support for lawful efforts to sanitise the advertising space but has called for clarity, fairness and structured stakeholder engagement. AAG President Andrew Ackah stressed that enforcement must be transparent and guided by due process to protect legitimate operators and the thousands of workers whose livelihoods depend on the outdoor advertising industry .

Ackah appealed to President John Dramani Mahama and the Minister for Local Government to ensure formal stakeholder engagement, publication of a clear regulatory and enforcement framework, a phased decongestion plan, defined compliance windows and a transparent grievance mechanism .

The association's position, he said, was "not adversarial but rooted in responsible and transparent action," expressing readiness to collaborate with authorities to achieve a safe, orderly and well-regulated outdoor advertising environment .

Background: A Contentious History

The billboard enforcement exercise has a fraught history. The Ministry set up a committee in October of the previous year with a mandate to roll out decongestion exercises across the country following the proliferation of billboards. The committee began by marking billboards within four municipal assemblies in Accra—La Dade-Kotopon, Korley-Clottey, Ayawaso West and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly—before demolition exercises began, which met with "a great deal of resistance" from the AAG .

The current exercise appears designed to proceed with greater consultation. The November 5 joint statement and the identification deadline gave operators an opportunity to regularise their structures or risk removal. Whether that window proves sufficient to satisfy an industry that has previously resisted enforcement remains to be seen.

The Ministry has appealed to billboard owners, advertising companies and the general public to cooperate with the authorities to ensure the successful execution of the exercise .

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Background Note: Billboard regulation in Ghana sits with the MMDAs, which issue permits under local bye-laws. The Tema Metropolitan Assembly's 2017 bye-laws, for instance, require a license before erection, with penalties for unauthorised structures including a 60 percent surcharge on fees and removal without notice if wrongly located . The current nationwide exercise is intended to harmonise enforcement across assemblies and bring structures into compliance with the GSA's national standard, which was developed in collaboration with the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Ghana Highway Authority, Ghana Institute of Engineers and University of Ghana, among others .