The President of the Advertising Association of Ghana, Andrew Ackah, has expressed concern over the growing number of unauthorised billboards in Accra, revealing that an estimated 40 to 60 per cent of the 10,000 advertising structures identified in the capital are non-compliant with existing regulations.
He said the association’s assessment uncovered several billboards that breach traffic and building regulations, while others pose potential safety risks due to concerns about their structural stability and the quality of materials used in their construction.
Speaking in an interview on Wednesday, November 4, Mr Ackah said the association financed the assessment independently to determine the extent of unauthorised billboard installations across Accra.
He noted that the findings were based on a mapping exercise in which the association identified billboard locations and evaluated the structures against existing legal requirements and technical standards for outdoor advertising.
“We counted over 10,000 billboards. What we did was technically use this database and then superimpose it on the law and the guiding document. We realised that between 40 to 60 per cent of these billboards are illegal because they flout those rules,” he stated.
He attributed the growing number of illegal billboards partly to inadequate regulatory oversight by Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), which are mandated to issue permits for outdoor advertising structures and enforce compliance with established standards.
He explained that although the Ghana Standards Authority, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, has developed guidelines to regulate permit issuance, their enforcement by the assemblies remains a major challenge.
Mr Ackah stressed that the situation would persist unless the assemblies intensified monitoring and ensured that all permits for outdoor advertising structures were issued in accordance with the approved guidelines.
