The Sunyani Municipal Assembly launched a comprehensive decongestion exercise Tuesday targeting unauthorized traders and vehicles in the Central Business District, as local authorities intensify efforts to restore order and improve urban planning compliance.
Municipal Chief Executive Vincent Antwi Agyei led the operation with support from municipal guards and Bono Regional Police Command personnel, confiscating items from non-compliant traders while towing illegally parked vehicles to assembly premises for fine collection.
The exercise commenced on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, with joint teams of cityguards and police officers clearing traders, hawkers, and unauthorized structures from pavements and streets. Vehicle owners must pay fines and towing fees before reclaiming their cars, plus sign undertakings to prevent future violations.
The MCE emphasized that the initiative forms part of broader efforts to enforce assembly bylaws on trading, sanitation, and public order rather than representing a one-time intervention. Educational components and sustained enforcement will accompany the immediate decongestion activities.
Resident reactions have been mixed, with some commending the exercise as necessary for easing congestion and improving sanitation while affected traders expressed concerns about losing traditional business locations. The assembly has designated specific trading zones while maintaining restrictions on certain areas.
The operation reflects growing municipal emphasis on urban planning compliance across Ghana, with similar exercises recently conducted in Kasoa and other major commercial centers. The Awutu Senya East Municipal Assembly commenced comparable decongestion activities in Kasoa’s CBD targeting pedestrian walkway encroachment.
Antwi Agyei stressed that sustained cooperation from all stakeholders is essential for maintaining order, arguing that a well-organized Sunyani would enhance both the city’s image and economic growth potential through improved business environment conditions.
The assembly’s approach combines immediate enforcement with longer-term planning, including trader relocation to designated zones and enhanced public awareness campaigns about municipal regulations governing commercial activities and vehicle parking.
Municipal authorities indicated that the exercise will continue as part of ongoing urban management efforts, with regular monitoring and enforcement to prevent unauthorized occupation of restricted areas in the Central Business District.
The decongestion drive addresses persistent challenges facing many Ghanaian municipalities where rapid commercial growth often outpaces formal urban planning processes, creating conflicts between trader needs and traffic flow requirements.
