EPA CEO Leads Compliance Enforcement Exercise in Greater Accra East
The Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), Prof. Nana Ama Browne Klutse, has led a high-level compliance and enforcement exercise in the Greater Accra East Region, as part of intensified efforts to ensure strict adherence to Ghana’s environmental laws and standards.
The exercise, which involved selected technical and enforcement officers of the Authority, targeted a cross-section of facilities, including warehouses, filling stations, hospitals, and manufacturing companies. The team assessed the operations of these facilities against the requirements of the Environmental Assessment Regulations and other applicable environmental permitting and safety standards.
During the inspections, facilities were evaluated on issues such as the possession of valid environmental permits, adherence to approved operational conditions, waste management practices, pollution control measures, and overall environmental and occupational safety compliance.
Prof. Browne Klutse emphasized that the exercise forms part of the EPA’s nationwide enforcement strategy to protect public health and the environment, and to ensure that all operators conduct their activities responsibly and in accordance with the law.
Facilities found to be operating without the requisite permits, or in breach of the conditions of their environmental approvals, were ordered to suspend operations and were subsequently closed down in line with the Environmental Assessment Regulations.
The affected operators were directed to regularize their operations and implement corrective measures before any consideration for reopening.
The EPA Chief Executive reiterated that the Authority will not hesitate to apply sanctions, including closure and prosecution, against defaulting facilities, adding that sustained compliance is essential for environmental sustainability, community safety, and national development.
