Local Government Ministry to remove unauthorized billboards in Accra

The Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, in collaboration with the Advertising Association of Ghana (AAG), will commence a major enforcement exercise to remove unauthorized and non-compliant billboards across Accra on November 14, 2026. Billboard owners and operators have been issued a final deadline of November 13 to clearly display their names and company details on their structures. Any installation that remains unidentified by this date will be classified as unauthorized and will be subject to immediate removal by a joint task force.

This initiative is grounded in the Ghana Standards Authority’s GS-847, 2019 guidelines, which establish technical and safety standards for outdoor advertising. Authorities estimate there are approximately 10,000 billboards currently standing in the capital, with data suggesting that more than half of these may be illegal or fail to meet safety requirements. The upcoming exercise aims to sanitize the outdoor advertising space, ensuring that all structures are properly registered and do not pose a risk to public safety.

The enforcement action will begin with joint inspections by various stakeholders to assess compliance with registration and safety protocols. Following the initial phase in Accra, the government plans to extend these periodic inspections and removal exercises to other parts of the country. By regulating the industry more strictly, officials hope to improve urban aesthetics and prevent accidents caused by poorly constructed or dangerously placed advertising installations.