President John Dramani Mahama has declared Friday, July 10, and Saturday, July 11, 2026, as National General Cleaning Days in the seven regions affected by the recent floods, directing all government appointees to personally lead cleanup activities as part of efforts to reduce the impact of flooding and improve environmental sanitation.

The directive was announced in a statement issued by the Presidency through the Post-Flood Mitigation Committee, which said the nationwide exercise is intended to help communities recover from the recent floods while preparing the country for the expected heavy rains.

The two-day campaign will be held under the theme “Our Actions, Our Future: Cleaning Ghana after the Floods” and is expected to mobilise residents to clear choked drains, remove waste from public spaces and improve sanitation in flood-prone communities.

President Mahama has instructed Ministers of State, Members of Parliament, Chief Executive Officers of state institutions, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), and heads of public institutions to leave their offices and actively participate in the exercise alongside residents in their respective areas.

According to the Presidency, the cleanup operation will commence on Friday, July 10, with personnel from the security services, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), and waste management companies carrying out extensive sanitation activities across the affected regions.

The exercise will continue on Saturday, July 11, when members of the public will join the security agencies and local assemblies in a coordinated nationwide effort to clean communities and restore affected environments.

Government said a key priority of the campaign will be the desilting of blocked drains to improve water flow and minimise the risk of flooding before the peak of the rainy season. Officials believe clearing drainage channels is essential to preventing a recurrence of the devastating floods experienced in recent weeks.

The exercise will also include sweeping roads and streets, clearing sand, weeds and debris from highways, cleaning markets, lorry parks, recreational centres and communal refuse collection sites, as well as removing plastic waste that often blocks drainage systems.

The Presidency noted that indiscriminate dumping of refuse, particularly plastic waste, has contributed significantly to blocked drains and recurring floods that have destroyed homes, disrupted economic activities and claimed lives in several parts of the country.

To facilitate the exercise, all MMDAs have been directed to work closely with waste management companies to provide adequate logistics, including waste collection trucks, gloves, shovels and other sanitation equipment at designated points.

The assemblies have also been instructed to ensure that all waste and silt collected during the cleanup are immediately transported to approved disposal sites to prevent them from being washed back into drains during subsequent rainfall.

Government is calling on all residents in the affected regions to actively participate in the exercise, stressing that environmental cleanliness is a shared national responsibility. It urged citizens to demonstrate unity, discipline and civic responsibility in protecting lives, property and communities through improved sanitation.

The statement concluded with a call for collective action, urging Ghanaians to embrace the campaign’s message: “Clean Ghana, Save Lives.”

The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has suspended its planned nationwide industrial action, which was scheduled to begin on Monday, July 6, 2026, following significant progress in negotiations with the government over the welfare and conditions of service of university teachers.

In a statement issued on July 4, 2026, the Association’s National Executive Committee (NEC) said the decision follows a series of high-level engagements with government officials that resulted in key agreements on salary adjustments and other outstanding concerns.

According to UTAG, an Interim Salary Adjustment Agreement was formally signed on July 2, 2026, with implementation taking effect from July 1, 2026. The Association described the agreement as a major milestone in its negotiations and credited the achievement to the overwhelming support members demonstrated during the recent referendum on industrial action.

UTAG also disclosed that during a meeting with the Minister for Finance on July 3, government provided firm assurances that several outstanding issues would be addressed. These include the payment of promotion arrears, implementation of pending Conditions of Service obligations, placement concerns affecting some staff of UniMAC, outstanding OTSA obligations for the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD), research fellows and librarians, as well as post-retirement and rollover challenges.

The Association said government has indicated that the necessary implementation letters and official directives are currently being finalized and are expected to be issued within the coming week to facilitate the rollout of the agreed measures.

Despite suspending the strike, UTAG emphasized that the overwhelming mandate members granted NEC through the referendum remains fully valid and can be activated if government fails to fulfill its commitments within the agreed timelines.

“The intended industrial action will not commence on Monday, July 6, 2026, as previously communicated,” the statement said, adding that the decision reflects the Association’s commitment to acting responsibly and in good faith while giving government the opportunity to deliver on its promises.

UTAG urged its members to remain calm, united, and vigilant while continuing to perform their official duties. The Association assured members that it would closely monitor the implementation process and maintain active engagement with government to ensure all agreements are fully honored.

The leadership further warned that should government fail to implement the agreed commitments as promised, NEC would immediately announce a new date for industrial action.

UTAG expressed appreciation to its members for their patience, discipline, solidarity, and confidence in the leadership, describing their unity as the Association’s greatest strength in advancing the welfare and interests of university teachers.

UTAG CIRCULAR

A truck carrying a shipping container was involved in an accident near Junction Mall after the container detached and crashed onto the truck’s cab just moments after the driver stepped out.

Eyewitnesses said the driver had exited the vehicle only a few minutes before the container suddenly fell, completely damaging the cab. The driver escaped unharmed in what many described as a miraculous escape.