President John Dramani Mahama has weighed in on a viral video showing unsanitary fish-drying practices at Tema New Town, using the incident to call on Ghanaians to embrace responsible citizenship and environmental stewardship. The footage, posted by environmental advocacy group Buz Stop Boys, depicted heaps of refuse surrounding an area where fish was being dried for public consumption, sparking widespread outrage over public health hazards and poor sanitation.
Speaking during the Men Ministry Day Celebration at the Ringway Gospel Centre Assemblies of God Church on Sunday, August 2, President Mahama said the video served as a stark reminder that while government can institute policies, the ultimate responsibility for cleanliness rests with individual citizens.
“Recently I was watching a video – Buz Stop Boys went to Tema New Town, and if you see the rubbish there, meanwhile they were drying fish, and that fish was supposed to come into the market. The worst one was some nice woman on the beach doing her business. We must be responsible as citizens,” he said.
The President expressed particular concern over the persistence of indiscriminate waste disposal, noting that many residents revert to old habits as soon as floodwaters recede. He warned that such practices contribute directly to the flooding crises that plague urban centres.
“Now the floods have gone, and so we are like the vulture – throwing sachet water, Styrofoam, food packaging, and everything into the drain. We should remember that when the floods come, they will come and meet those things there,” he cautioned.
President Mahama stressed that environmental protection demands a fundamental shift in attitude, where citizens take ownership of their communities and internalise the consequences of their actions. He argued that government-led clean-up campaigns can only succeed if accompanied by voluntary compliance and civic consciousness.
Drawing on scripture to reinforce his message, the President quoted James 2:17, stating that “faith without works is dead,” and urged that religious conviction must manifest in daily character and conduct. “If our faith must go with works, then it must show in our character,” he added.
The President’s remarks come at a time when sanitation and waste management remain major challenges across Ghana. The Buz Stop Boys video has reignited debate about the safety of locally processed fish, the role of regulatory agencies such as the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the need for stricter enforcement of sanitation by-laws.
The Tema New Town incident has also drawn attention to the livelihood pressures that compel vendors to operate in hazardous environments, with some commentators calling for improved infrastructure and designated processing zones for fishmongers.
President Mahama’s appeal is the latest in a series of public statements urging behavioural change, as his administration continues to grapple with flooding, waste disposal, and urban sanitation issues ahead of the rainy season. While the government has rolled out various initiatives, including the National Sanitation Authority and district-level clean-up exercises, the President’s latest intervention underscores the belief that lasting solutions must come from a collective sense of civic duty.
As the video continues to circulate on social media, many Ghanaians have echoed the President’s sentiments, calling on their neighbours to stop using drains as dustbins and to hold vendors accountable for hygienic food handling. For now, the Tema New Town fish-drying site has become a symbol of the broader sanitation crisis—and a test case for whether public outrage can translate into lasting change.
