The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has intensified enforcement activities to evict traders and other commercial operators from Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) shelters across the city as part of efforts to restore the facilities to their intended use and improve pedestrian and vehicular movement.
The latest exercise, led by the Mayor of Accra, Hon. Michael Kpakpo Allotey, on Monday, 5 October 2026, targeted the Aayalolo BRT bus shelter near the former Telecel office at the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange, where traders had taken over portions of the facility, trading in mobile phones, accessories and other items.
Despite the rainfall during the exercise, the Mayor, accompanied by the Coordinating and Finance Directors and the enforcement team, proceeded with the operation, removing tables and other items that had occupied the shelter and obstructed access for commuters.
Addressing the traders, Mayor Allotey said the exercise was not targeted at individuals or intended to deprive anyone of a livelihood, but was necessary to restore order, protect commuters and ensure that public infrastructure served the purpose for which it was constructed.
He said the rapid improvement in movement after the area had been cleared demonstrated the effect unauthorised trading activities had on traffic flow and access to the bus shelter.
According to him, commuters who were supposed to use the designated bus stop had been forced onto the road because traders had occupied the shelter, creating risks for both pedestrians and motorists.
The Mayor disclosed that a pedestrian had previously been knocked down by a vehicle in the area and said the Assembly could not ignore activities that exposed commuters to preventable danger.
He stressed that the objective of the exercise was to make Accra functional again, explaining that restoring discipline in public spaces required cooperation from residents, traders, motorists and city authorities.
“This is an Aayalolo bus stop. We have said in the media and at press conferences that people should desist from occupying the bus stops so that Aayalolo can work again,” he said.
He noted that the public transport system was introduced to provide accessible transportation, particularly for vulnerable members of society, and said he would not sit by as Mayor while facilities meant for commuters were taken over for private commercial activities.
He recounted instances where he had personally supported struggling traders with financial assistance, including a woman selling meat in Accra whose business had subsequently improved, to demonstrate that his administration was not opposed to legitimate trading activities.
“We are all Ghanaians, and if Ghana must work, it depends on all of us. When we elect people to lead, we must also support them to succeed. Talk among yourselves, and let us do the right thing. Ghana loves you, and I love you too,” he said.