President John Dramani Mahama joined citizens on the first day of the two‑day National Cleaning Day at Tse‑Addo in Accra.

‎Speaking to the media, he explained that the level of silt and plastic waste choking Accra’s drains is as a result of years of neglect. ‎ ‎He made the remarks while touring Tse‑Addo on Friday, July 10, 2026. ‎ ‎“Look at the plastics we are taking out of it. Apart from that, the sand clearly did not happen in one year. It means this has been silted for so many years,” President Mahama said.

‎ ‎He added that the heavy silt reduces the capacity of drains to carry water, worsening flooding in the city. ‎ ‎According to him, in past clean‑ups, silt was often left by the roadside, only to be washed back into the drains when it rained. ‎ ‎“In this exercise, let’s make sure that after we take all this silt out, we bring enough capacity to transport it and dump it somewhere appropriate. If we are able to do this, for the next year or two, this drain will have enough capacity to carry the water through,” he noted.

‎ ‎The president further commended engineers, the military, and other services for their turnout, adding that dredging of the main waterways would help channel water to wetlands. ‎ He therefore called for the clean‑up to become a regular civic duty.

‎“At least once a month, let’s set aside one day, and all of us come out and clean the city. With the help of waste management companies, we’ll be able to keep this city clean and free of flooding,” Mahama urged.

‎ ‎The exercise forms part of government’s broader effort to tackle flooding in Accra by combining community participation with institutional support.

VKB/ VPO