AMA: We'll Arrest Anyone Who Buys From Street Hawkers

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly says it is awaiting the endorsement of the Attorney-General’s office to enforce a new bylaw prohibiting people from selling or buying on the streets in the metropolis.


Anyone who buys from street hawkers when the bylaw becomes operational faces arrest and prosecution. Currently only hawkers in the central business district of Accra are regularly chased out by AMA taskforce as the assembly strives to rid the city of congestion.



Accra Mayor Alfred Nii Okoe Vanderpuije told Joy FM he is hopeful the bylaw will be approved early next year.



“If you patronize, if you sat in your vehicle, your vehicle stops at the light and you bought something from your vehicle or you patronize selling on the streets, you are breaking the bylaw and we will enforce those once we get the green light and we are awaiting clearance on that from the Attorney-General’s Office. We have submitted this since September and so we are waiting for the clearance that should come anytime. I’m sure early next year we should have it, I’m sure.”



Alfred Vanderpuije who also dismissed assertions that such a bylaw will be too difficult to enforce, said maintaining a law-abiding society is a shared responsibility of those clothed with authority to enforce laws and the rest of society, and called on all to support it.



“We have not relented in our efforts to get hawkers off the streets. All of us have equal responsibility. Yes AMA has the ultimate responsibility but we have not ignored our responsibility in this respect, you know, we are out there, our taskforce is out there every day to make sure that we clear the streets of workers which we’ve been able to maintain except that now we are in the Christmas, we have more people in town, we have more people shopping, we have all that going on.”



Source: myjoyonline