The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has begun an exercise to rid the country’s capital town, Accra, of beggars and street children.
The exercise, which began last Friday, has seen about 200 persons including children from Niger and Nigeria picked up from some ceremonial streets, under bridges and in traffic, mostly begging for alms.
La Dadekotopon Municipal Assembly (LADMA) has been added to the exercise.
As a result, areas such as Airport City, Airport, Accra Mall, Spanner Junctio, 37 Military Hospital and the Ghana Standards Board (Shiashie) have been covered.
A statement released on Friday said the AMA is working closely with the Department of Social Welfare “towards the reformation and reintegration of these persons into society”.
The Assembly has urged the public to cooperate “and desist from giving money to beggars on the streets as they will be violating the Beggars and Destitute Act, 1969 (PNDCL 392) which criminalizes the act of begging and giving to beggars”.
Other areas to be covered include Kaneshie Overhead Bridge, Nima and Maamobi and at traffic intersections at Sunny FM, Okponglo and Graphic Road stretch, the footbridges at the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange as well as popular bus terminals like the Neoplan Bus Stop at Achimota, Circle, Kaneshie and the Korle Bu traffic light.
Source: 3news.com|Ghana