The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has put in place measures to ensure that hawking on the street of Accra becomes a thing of the past.
The approach would be on dialoguing with and cautioning hawkers, who still display their wares. If they fail to heed to their caution, they would be arrested to sign a bond and later sent to court if they persist.
In an interview with Ghana News Agency, Noomo Blafo III, Acting Head of Public Affairs, said the AMA had taken these measures to ensure the sustainability of the process.
He said hawkers had been on the street for a long time and had formed attitudes, which would take a very long time to change.
“To change one’s attitude is a process and that is why management is using the dialogue process,” he stated.
Noomo Blafo said although the hawkers had been informed, most of them still took to the street at night. AMA has therefore adopted a shift system for their personnel to deal with that development.
On whether newspaper vendors were exempted, he said, the AMA had given them an ultimatum to either put on uniforms or sell up to 10 am.
Noomo Blofo added that by the end of this month hawkers found selling on the street would face the full rigours of the law.
The acting Head of Public Affairs also warned the public to desist from patronising these hawkers to deter them from selling on the street.
He encouraged the hawkers to make good use of the hawkers market to ensure the development of the city.