Okada riders without helmet will be tasked to clean gutters in efforts to tackle floods

• Police at Ofankor have ordered helmetless Okada riders to clean gutters as part of a local sanitation and enforcement exercise in Accra.

• The initiative combines road safety enforcement with efforts to clear blocked drains, which contribute to recurring flooding in the capital.

• The move adds to ongoing citywide clean-up campaigns by authorities aimed at reducing flood risks during the rainy season.

Police officers at Ofankor in the Greater Accra Region have directed commercial motorbike riders (Okada riders) found without helmets to help clean and desilt gutters in the area as part of a local sanitation enforcement exercise aimed at improving drainage and reducing flooding risks.

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A video circulating on social media shows officers stopping riders who were not wearing helmets and instructing them to clear nearby gutters and surrounding refuse.

The exercise is part of a dual enforcement approach, that is promoting road safety compliance while also mobilising support for sanitation efforts in flood-prone communities.

Ghana’s capital, Accra, is facing recurring flooding during heavy rains, with blocked drains and  poor waste disposal practices, identified as contributing factors.

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In several interventions, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) have undertaken drainage desilting and clean-up exercises across major flood-prone suburbs in the city.

Responsible authorities have consistently warned that indiscriminate dumping of waste into gutters remains one of the leading causes of urban flooding, especially during peak rainy seasons.

The latest police-led initiative at Ofankor adds to ongoing nationwide sanitation enforcement efforts, where local authorities, AMA, Zoomlion have increasingly combined environmental clean-up campaigns.

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Though police have not yet issued an official statement, similar community-based enforcement activities have previously been used in parts of Accra to encourage behavioural change on both road discipline and environmental sanitation.