The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has announced plans to begin a major revenue enforcement exercise from Monday to recover outstanding Business Operating Permit (BOP) fees, property rates and rent owed by businesses and property owners within the metropolis.
The Assembly said the initiative is part of efforts to “strengthen revenue mobilisation” and “improve compliance with local government revenue regulations” as it seeks to enhance its capacity to deliver essential services and infrastructure across Accra. It noted that persistent non-compliance among some ratepayers, despite repeated engagements and reminders, has necessitated the enforcement action.
According to the AMA, businesses and property owners who have failed to meet their statutory obligations risk having their premises “temporarily closed and locked” as part of the exercise. The Assembly stressed that payment of Business Operating Permit fees, property rates and rent remains a “legal requirement” for all operators within the metropolis and constitutes a “major source of internally generated funds” for its development agenda.
The AMA indicated that authorised revenue and enforcement officers will be deployed across the metropolis to identify defaulters and ensure adherence to revenue collection regulations. It warned that premises found to be indebted would be locked and remain closed until all outstanding payments are settled, in line with enforcement procedures.
The Assembly further stated that penalties may be imposed on defaulters in accordance with the provisions of the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936) and relevant AMA by-laws governing revenue administration. It urged affected businesses and property owners to “regularise their obligations immediately” to avoid disruptions to operations ahead of the enforcement exercise.
To facilitate compliance, the AMA said payment arrangements have been made available through its offices and designated revenue collection centres across the metropolis. It also highlighted digital payment platforms, including Property Rates via *222*55# and Business Operating Permit payments via *222*33#, to ease settlement of outstanding liabilities.
The Assembly explained that revenue generated from permits, rates and rent is used to finance key metropolitan services, including sanitation management, public health programmes, environmental maintenance, infrastructure development and market management. It added that these resources are critical to sustaining efforts to make Accra a “cleaner, safer and more resilient city.”
