A 15-member Technical Committee on the Regulation and Standardisation of Signage across Ghana was inaugurated on Friday in Accra by the Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mr Ahmed Ibrahim.

The Committee is chaired by Deputy Minister Rita Naa Odoley Sowah and includes notable members such as Dr Benedict Mensah Arkurst, Deputy Director of Plan and Preparation at the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUSPA); Emmanuel Selasi K. Adjetey, GIS Officer-LUSPA, Greater Accra; Dr Emmanuel Basie, Dean of Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Coordinating Directors at Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly; Kwame Kodua Atuahene, Director of Regulations, Inspection and Compliance at the National Road Safety Authority; and Anaab Bukari, President of the Ghana Institute of Planning.

Other members include Isaac Cudjoe, Executive Director of the Advertising Association of Ghana; former MP Della Sowah; Edem Doe, Assistant Horticulture Officer at the Department of Parks and Gardens; Winnifred Ebo Sam-Awortwi, Planning Analyst at the National Development Planning Commission; Patience Onny, Director of Traffic Management, Department of Urban Roads; Maxwell Klu, Manager of Road Safety at GHA; ASP Ismael Amoako Brempong, Assistant Superintendent at the Motor Traffic and Transport Department; Raymond Ohene Ofori, Principal Planning Officer at the Environment Ministry; and Ms Jane Elinam Tagbor, Senior State Attorney at MoJAG.

The inauguration is part of the government’s efforts to promote cleaner, safer, and more aesthetically appealing cities by preventing the indiscriminate display of signage nationwide. The Committee, composed of experts and institutional representatives, is tasked with developing standardised regulations and guidelines for the erection and display of billboards and signage across all Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

Its core mandate includes developing standardised guidelines for signage permits, ensuring compliance with safety, zoning, and aesthetic regulations, monitoring and enforcing adherence to standards, promoting best practices in outdoor advertising, and creating a centralised digital platform for approved signage.

In inaugurating the Committee, the sector Minister, Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, through his Chief Director, Alhaji Amin Abdul-Rahaman, emphasised the importance of the Committee’s work in creating cleaner, safer, and more beautiful cities. He described the inauguration as the beginning of a national journey toward improved urban aesthetics, public safety, and city resilience, expressing hope that the Committee’s work would contribute significantly to these goals.

The Minister urged the Committee to develop clear, practical, and enforceable guidelines that MMDAs could easily adopt and implement. He further appealed to all MMDAs to regulate advertisers’ activities, stating, “Though this Committee has been set up, if we come out with all the rules and regulations and the MMDAs are not on board, we are not going to succeed.”

In her acceptance speech, Ms Sowah assured that the Committee would approach its assignment with diligence and dedication. She stressed that regulating signage was not about restriction but about promoting order, safety, and national pride, urging all members to work together to develop guidelines that would leave behind cities future generations could be proud to inherit.

Stakeholders described the inauguration as “timely and in the right direction,” pledging their support and commitment to ensuring the Committee achieves its objectives.