Stop defacing road infrastructure with adverts and notices - Ministry of Roads and Highways

The Ministry of Roads and Highways has issued a warning regarding the consistent defacing of public road infrastructure across the nation, through various adverts and notices.

This, according to the ministry, includes the installation of outdoor advertising structures (billboards, signposts etc) in the median, and at inappropriate locations.

The Ministry of Roads and Highways, in a statement, expressed its dismay over the ongoing practice.

It stated that the act, if not stopped, will have adverse effects on road safety and infrastructural integrity.

“This practice is unacceptable and contravenes provision of the Ghana Standards Authority’s ‘Advertisement Specification for Outdoors Signs’ (GS 847:2019) in section 5, section 11 and 15 of Act 540 and section 118 of LI 2180,” the ministry stated.

The ministry also said the detrimental outcomes resulting from this practice, include driver distractions, the devaluation of road infrastructure, among others.

"The practice results in the following: driver distractions, devaluation of the road infrastructure and furniture; poor aesthetics of the public realm; and misinformation to drivers," the statement added.

As a result, the Ministry of Roads and Highways has urged the Advertising Association of Ghana to reinforce its code of conduct, specifically with regard to the placement of outdoor advertising structures.

It further encourages all assemblies to liaise with the road agencies at the regional level before granting permits for adverts and notices along road corridors, emphasizing the importance of prior consultation.

Below is the full statement by the ministry

????️PRESS RELEASE: DEFACING OF PUBLIC ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE | November 7th, 2023

It has come to the attention of the Ministry of Roads and Highways that public road infrastructure across the country is continuously being defaced with adverts and notices.

2. This usually occurs in… pic.twitter.com/0yXFew9fRR

— Ministry of Roads & Highways - Ghana (@mrhgovgh) November 9, 2023