Accra lights up ahead of Christmas

Street corners and road intersections in Ghana’s capital, Accra, are being smartened ahead of the yuletide.

Shoulders and kerbs of principal streets have been painted, lawns neatly mowed and decorated with Christmas lights, a few days to the celebrations.

The Ghana News Agency (GNA) also spotted contemporary artworks and paintings, murals on plain surfaces, fishing boats and old vehicles placed at vantage points giving the city an alluring look.

The GNA gathered that the ‘dress up’ is being done by Jandel Limited in collaboration with the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to make Accra an “art city”.

Mr Gilbert Ankrah, Public Relations Officer of AMA, said the initiative formed part of the Assembly’s vision for Accra to become a city of “art and style.”

“The AMA has the vision to make Accra a city of art and creativity where young people can bring out their creative best, so when Jandel Limited brought this vison, we decided it was the right partnership,” he said.

Mr Ankrah said the whole beautification project was also incorporated in making Accra a clean city, adding that, they would also be cleaning up the metropolis ahead of the yuletide.

He said the Assembly was committed to making the yuletide an exciting and safe one, saying it would be meeting stakeholders in the Metropolis soon on how to make the 2020 Yuletide, a memorable one.

He said security arrangements had been done to ensure that locals and visitors/tourists went about their activities safely and “peacefully before, during and after the celebrations".

Meanwhile, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in his 20th address to the nation on how to contain the spread of COVID-19, urged the citizens to strictly observe the COVID-19 safety protocols during the festivity.

He advised the populace to celebrate in open spaces and observe social distancing while wearing face masks to curb the spread of the virus.