All unauthorised billboards in Accra to be removed on November 14
State authorities and industry leaders have issued a final ultimatum to media agencies and property owners across the capital: clearly brand your outdoor advertising structures within seven days or see them dismantled in a massive joint enforcement sweep scheduled for November 14, 2026.
The Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, working in tandem with the Advertising Association of Ghana (AAG), announced the coordinated exercise on Thursday, November 5, 2026, aimed at restoring public safety and structural order along key vehicular corridors.
Under the directive, all billboard owners and outdoor advertising firms must prominently display their business names and official identification tags on every physical structure by midnight on Friday, November 13, 2026. Any advertisement gantry or billboard that remains unbranded after the deadline will be classified as abandoned or illegal and targeted for immediate removal.
Enforcing national standards
The joint action follows recent disclosures by the AAG indicating that up to 60 per cent of the estimated 10,000 billboards dotting Accra's skyline are unauthorized, poorly anchored, or erected in violation of statutory zoning rules.
A joint press statement released by the Ministry explained that the upcoming crackdown will strictly enforce the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) guidelines—specifically Ghana Standard GS-847 (2019, Second Edition)—which governs the structural integrity, safe installation, and spatial clearances for outdoor advertising signs.
Key provisions of the GSA framework explicitly ban billboards within 30 metres of intersection centres, prohibit structures on pedestrian walkways and median islands, and bar gantry advertisements on overpasses to prevent severe driver distraction and road obstruction.
High-density inspection drive
Starting Saturday, November 14, 2026, task forces comprising officials from the Ministry, the AAG, Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs), the GSA, and security personnel will deploy across selected high-density corridors in Accra to audit structures and launch physical removals.
"The exercise is to promote public safety, ensure regulatory compliance, and maintain an orderly outdoor advertising environment," the joint statement emphasized.
Government has indicated that the Accra sweep marks the initial phase of a nationwide campaign. Sustained periodic inspections will follow across the capital before being replicated across all sixteen regions in direct collaboration with local assemblies.
The Ministry has urged all advertising practitioners, corporate sponsors, and private landowners to comply fully with the identification mandate to safeguard their investments and support public safety.
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