NRSA Clears Over 120 Illegal Billboards from Accra Roads in Major Safety Crackdown

The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has launched a decisive enforcement action in Accra, pulling down over 120 advertising boards that were illegally erected on road medians across parts of Greater Accra. The operation signals a renewed push by the Authority to restore order on the capital's increasingly cluttered road network and reduce preventable accidents caused by visual obstructions.

What happened and where

The removal exercise was personally led by NRSA Director-General Abraham Amaliba, accompanied by the Authority's Technical Advisor and members of its Greater Accra Regional Team. The team worked along a corridor that began near the Supreme Court, passed through the Ridge Roundabout and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) premises, and concluded at the Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel.

All the structures taken down had been placed on road medians without authorisation — meaning the businesses or individuals behind them had not obtained the necessary permits from the relevant authorities before erecting the boards. The NRSA confirmed the operation via its official Facebook page, describing it as part of a broader campaign to make Accra's roads safer and better organised.

The Authority stressed that road medians and their surrounding spaces are not simply empty land available for commercial use. When large advertising structures occupy these spaces, they can block sightlines for drivers trying to merge, turn or spot pedestrians — creating conditions that contribute to collisions. For pedestrians attempting to cross busy roads, such obstructions can be particularly dangerous.

Why it matters for Ghana

Road safety remains one of Ghana's most pressing public health challenges. The country consistently records some of the highest road traffic fatality rates in West Africa, with Accra's congested and often poorly organised road environment contributing significantly to that toll. Unauthorised billboards and advertising structures have long been a feature of the city's landscape, but their impact on road safety is frequently underestimated.

Visual clutter on medians does more than create an aesthetic problem — it distracts drivers, blocks traffic signs and signals, and narrows the effective field of vision at key junctions. In a city where pedestrian infrastructure is already limited and many Ghanaians must cross multi-lane roads on foot daily, anything that reduces a driver's ability to spot a pedestrian in time is a serious hazard.

Beyond safety, the proliferation of unauthorised structures raises questions about enforcement and revenue. Legitimate outdoor advertising in Ghana involves permits and fees paid to metropolitan assemblies and other bodies. When companies erect boards illegally, they not only create safety risks but also deprive public institutions of revenue that could fund infrastructure and services.

The NRSA's action also sends a signal to advertising companies and property owners that informal arrangements and ignored permit requirements will not go unchallenged indefinitely. Whether the enforcement will be sustained — or whether boards will quietly reappear once the operation concludes — will be the real test of the Authority's resolve.

What comes next

The NRSA has framed this exercise as part of its wider, ongoing mandate to promote safer road use and improve order in Ghana's urban environments. It is not yet clear whether further operations are planned for other parts of Accra or other regional capitals, but the scale of Sunday's exercise — over 120 structures removed in a single sweep along one corridor — suggests the Authority has identified illegal advertising as a priority enforcement area.

Road users, pedestrians and civil society groups have long called for more consistent enforcement of traffic and road-use regulations in Accra. This operation may mark the beginning of a more sustained crackdown, but Ghanaians will be watching to see whether the cleared medians remain free of unauthorised structures in the weeks and months ahead.