As one walks along the streets of Accra, it is hard to miss the numerous posters on walls, poles, buildings and interchanges advertising everything from political campaigns to concerts, jobs and religious events.
With their garish colours and bold fonts, these advertising materials somehow present an eyesore that has blighted the city's beauty.
Accra, the nation’s bustling capital city, is a vibrant hub of culture and commerce, with about 4.5 million people living in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA).
The World Population Review estimates a daily influx of 2.5 million business commuters, and amid the hustle and bustle, one cannot help but notice how these hurriedly plastered posters are defacing walls and monumental structures in the city.
While the posters seek to promote the interests of various groups and individuals, many are plastered without permission from the authorities, violating the city’s by-laws.
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly’s by-laws (2017) on cleaning prohibits a person from affixing bills or posters for advertisement to any wall, road sign, tree or fixtures, other than on spaces specifically provided or approved by the assembly for that purpose, or on property owned or occupied by that person.
In 2019, the relevant assemblies in the city gave a 14-day ultimatum to churches, advertisers, filmmakers, educational institutions and the public who hoist banners and posters in Accra to remove all such publicity materials affixed to ceremonial streets and other key locations in the city.
Despite the warning, the practice persists, with the posters often left for months or years, if they survive the weather and competing materials, causing a build-up of unsightly clutter.
No authorisation
The Chief Executive of the Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly, Samuel James Nii Adjei Tawiah, told the Daily Graphic that the plastering of posters around the city without authorisation was a nightmare for the assembly.
The assembly, he said, had launched campaigns and spent a lot of money to remove all illegal posters, and warned that any individual or group caught pasting posters without permission would face legal action.
“They do it at night, and by morning, they are there, so we spend a lot of money to get people to remove these posters, and for us, it’s a daily affair and we are engaging with the Advertising Association of Ghana (AAG) and other stakeholders to clamp down on it.
“Recently, we had to remove some from the AU Roundabout, and you realise that some of the adverts belong to reputable companies,” Mr Tawiah said.
Although registered advertisers could be hired to run campaigns for brands and individuals with posters, they can only do so with the right permits from city authorities.
Mr Tawiah explained that posters that were legally pasted were done responsibly at designated places sanctioned by the authorities, but that the bulk of the posters plastered illegally were done by faceless individuals under the cover of darkness.
He noted that the defacement of Accra through illegal posters was a pressing issue that needed to be addressed urgently, adding that “it is time for all stakeholders, including the authorities, individuals and groups, to come together and find a lasting solution to this problem”.
Monitoring exercise
The Head of Public Affairs of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Gilbert Ankrah, said the assembly recently embarked on an inspection and monitoring exercise and discovered that some banners and posters were positioned at places that were not designated by the assembly.
He said those materials were removed and the owners of advert materials with expired permits were instructed to abide by the assembly’s bye-laws.
He said per the assembly’s Out of Home Advertising policy, advertisers were expected to renew their licences on a yearly basis, expressing the hope that the advertisers would comply with the procedure.
Mr Ankrah, however, indicated that the situation had improved due to their engagement with advertisers and the demarcation of some areas.
Advertisers
The President of the AAG, Andrew Ackah, told the Daily Graphic that the illegal posting of posters around the city was of grave concern to the association.
He said a yet-to-be-published audit conducted by the AAG suggested that the situation had worsened over the years despite stringent laws to curb it.
The report, done with a digital map, shows the extent to which regulations on advertising were being breached on a daily basis, reducing customer satisfaction.
Mr Ackah said so far the 12.7km long Spintex Road in Accra was facing the most abuse in terms of the illegal mounting and pasting of advertising materials.
The association, he said, was presently working around the clock to find a lasting solution to the issue.
Discipline
The CEO of Jandel Limited, Afi Amoro, said beautification of the city was passionate to her, stressing that it had other side benefits, including cleanliness and orderliness.
She said spaces in the city that had been decorated were hardly littered as people generally appreciated beauty.
“You realise that there is less littering at places that are decorated like the recently renovated Police Headquarters, where the whole area has benefited from that extra beauty added to the building, and the landscaping has transformed the entire stretch, so you will hardly see any form of litter around that area,” she said.
Ms Amoro called on influential Ghanaians to lend their voice to the beautification of the city in all its forms.
Jandel Limited is a wholly owned Ghanaian company with an acclaimed trade record in the business of interior and exterior decoration, landscaping and renovations.
Environmental impact
A British-Ghanaian environmentalist based in Barking, East London, Joyce Bawuah, told the Daily Graphic that the impact of the posters went beyond visual pollution, and could also damage buildings and infrastructure, as the glue used to affix them could corrode surfaces over time.
She, however, said the removal of those posters could be costly and time-consuming for the authorities.
Political campaigns
However, as the 2024 general election draws closer, the city is experiencing an increase in the number of political party posters that have become the front runners when it comes to damaging the city's aesthetic appeal.
While they serve the purpose of promoting the parties and their candidates, they appear to impact the beauty of the city.
Mr Tawiah said the assembly had already planned to engage the various political parties to encourage them to be circumspect in the plastering of posters during the campaign seasons and to follow the laid down procedures, including seeking and obtaining permit from the assembly, before pasting posters.
A political scientist who did not wish to be named, however, told the Daily Graphic that the presence of political party posters could also have an impact on public perception because although they might serve the purpose of promoting political parties and candidates, they could be viewed by the public as a nuisance.
“The sight of these posters can create a negative perception of political parties and candidates among the public,” the expert said, and added that while posters served as a reminder to voters about elections and candidates, they did not necessarily translate into more votes for the parties responsible for putting them up.
The Accra scenario is, however, a mere reflection of the greater and wider case across the country.
The Chief Executive of the Ledzokuku Municipal Assembly, Mordecai Quarshie, said by-laws on the menace were mostly flouted by residents, and that the main issue regarding posters was enforcement.
He said per the relevant by-laws of the assembly, the public was required to pay the assembly before pasting posters in the community.
The amount, he said, was used by to undertake the removal of posters when they were no longer relevant.
He added that over the years, politicians in particular made it difficult for officers of the assembly to go after them due to the politics associated with the enforcement of such laws.
He said residents took advantage of the situation to post different materials that marred the walls and structures of important public places in the constituency.
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