AMA commemorates 125th anniversary with float and tree planting

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) commemorated its 125th anniversary with a vibrant float through the streets of Accra, followed by a symbolic tree-planting ceremony at the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange. The celebration, under the theme “125 Years of Local Governance: Strengthening Community Resilience and Sustainable Development of the City of Accra,” aimed to promote civic duty, environmental awareness, and the city’s commitment to sustainability.

Established in 1898, the AMA has played a crucial role in local governance for over a century, adapting to address the evolving needs of the growing city.

The celebration highlighted the assembly’s contributions to tackling contemporary challenges, including waste management, urban development, and environmental sustainability.

The over five-hour float kicked off at the forecourt of the AMA, proceeding through key areas such as Adabraka, Kwame Nkrumah Interchange, Obetsebi Roundabout, Kaneshie, First Light, Flamingo Light, Zongo Junction, Latebiokoshie, Mamprobi, Korle Gonno, and Makola.

AMA staff, management, and assembly members, led by the first female Mayor, donned anniversary T-shirts, danced, and displayed placards conveying messages on sanitation, climate change, public health, and adherence to bylaws.

Addressing the media, Mayor Elizabeth Kwatsoe Tawiah Sackey expressed the AMA’s commitment to sustainability and climate change mitigation.

She highlighted the float’s purpose of instilling a renewed sense of civic duty and environmental consciousness, propelling the city toward a sustainable and resilient future.

Mayor Sackey emphasized the symbolic tree planting at the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange, underscoring citizens’ pivotal role in combating climate change and preserving Accra’s rich heritage.

She outlined the AMA’s initiatives, including solid waste source separation, community compost programs, Zero Waste Street concept, and integrating informal waste workers into the waste management chain.

“The AMA has been intentional in its commitment to creating sustainable solid waste management… Our initiative in sustainable solid waste management is to ensure a clean and healthy environment for citizens and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for the waste sector,” Mayor Sackey stated.

She urged citizens to avoid illegal waste disposal practices, abide by sanitation and other bylaws, and emphasized the need for collective responsibility to foster a cleaner and healthier environment.

Mayor Sackey assured that sustainable governance and environmental stewardship remained at the forefront of the Assembly’s agenda, setting a precedent for cities across the region.