President John Dramani Mahama has announced Friday, July 10, and Saturday, July 11, as National General Cleaning Days for seven regions affected by the recent devastating floods that occurred on June 29.

The floods, which claimed about 13 lives and destroyed more than 7,000 homes, prompted the initiative aimed at improving sanitation and reducing the risk of future flooding.

The two-day exercise, organised by the Post-Flood Mitigation Committee, will run under the theme “Our Actions, Our Future: Cleaning Ghana after the floods”. It is expected to mobilise citizens to clean up their surroundings, protect the environment, and help prevent future disasters.

In a statement issued on Monday, July 6, government spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu described the exercise as a key national response and urged widespread public participation.

As part of the directive, President Mahama has instructed all government appointees, including ministers, Members of Parliament, Chief Executive Officers of state agencies, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), and heads of public institutions, to suspend routine office work and actively participate in cleanup activities within their jurisdictions.

The exercise will be carried out in phases. On Friday, personnel from the security services, MMDAs, and waste management companies will lead operations, while the general public is expected to join on Saturday.

Activities will focus on desilting blocked drains to improve water flow ahead of the rainy season, clearing refuse, sand, and vegetation from roads and public spaces, and cleaning markets, lorry stations, parks, and designated waste collection sites.

Officials noted that poor waste disposal and plastic pollution have significantly contributed to blocked drainage systems, worsening flood impacts and endangering lives.

To support the exercise, all MMDAs have been directed to collaborate with waste management firms to provide logistics such as trucks, gloves, shovels, and other equipment.

They have also been tasked to ensure that all collected waste is promptly removed and properly disposed of to prevent it from re-entering drainage channels.

The government is calling on all citizens to take part in the initiative, stressing that collective action is essential to improving sanitation and preventing future flood-related disasters.