Accra streetlights! Hmm. Could this be a flicker of hope or a persistent problem? In February this year when the streetlights between the Okponglo to PRESEC Legon was restored after several months of lights out, one would have thought that the issue has been permanently evacuated.
Nonetheless, while there might be some efforts or initiatives to address the issue of dysfunctional streetlights in Accra, the problem persists, and it is uncertain whether these efforts will lead to lasting issues. I doubt!
In the build up, I took a stroll through town from Shiashie to Madina (Zongo Junction), where I counted numerous non-functioning streetlights on Tuesday night (7:45pm – 9pm), April 15 2025. This happened after I took note of these streetlights malfunctioning for the past 3 weeks, especially that of the Okponglo to PRESEC legon stretch.
Starting between the Shiashie bus stop and the Okponglo traffic light stretch, I realized that almost all the streetlights are not working.
However, the dark spot area itself is worrying and disturbing as it shoots some threat warnings to drivers and students. The Okponglo to PRESEC legon stretch has been a frequent zone of faulty lighting.
I was able to count some 200 streetlights between this very dark spots. This number may be more than that, as some of these lighting infrastructures (poles) come with double lights. It may interest you to know that on a pole of two lights, not even one is working.
Also as part of my efforts to report on this infrastructure challenge, the streetlights on the Atomic overpass (from Madina to Accra) has 25 faulty lightings. None of the lights on that side of the road is functioning currently.
The Atomic Junction – Haatso stretch is also very worrying as most of the streetlights are not functioning.
Another dark spot is the Fire Stone – Madina (Zongo Junction) stretch. All 39 installed streetlights are currently dysfunctional. This has caused streetlight outage for the past 3 weeks, creating a potential hazard.
It must however be noted that, all 39 poles has 2 lights on them, making a total of 78 non-functional lights. Among these 78, 2 lights have broken and are hanging on the pole awaiting its final downfall (somewhere around the masalakyi).
Furthermore, all streetlights from Madina (Zongo junction) to Adenta barrier are dysfunctional and unfit for purpose.
Meanwhile, on March 25 2025, as part of her promise to restore streetlights across all Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies in the Greater Accra region (MMDAs) in her first 50 days in office, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Ocloo disclosed that maintenance works are ongoing on the above streets (Shiashie to Oyibi).
According to her, “there is a maintenance works on streetlights on portions on the N1 (Tetteh Quarshie to Kasoa), N6 (Achimota to Amasaman) and N4 (Shiashie to Oyibi) by the Ghana Highways Authority and the contractor is on site with works ongoing.”
However, this claim does not look feasible as I have been monitoring these roads for some time now. If a contractor is really on site, they should have been dealt with by now. The broken and hanging lights at Madina (masalakyi) should have been replaced by now.
I want to urge the Honorable Minister, to please be up to her game and be swift about prioritizing the streetlights on these major highways. Concentrate on the major roads!
For the past 3 weeks, I have witnessed how these dark spots reduced visibility, obscuring important visual cues, and making it difficult to see road markings, potential hazards, and even traffic signs.
Also, I have noticed that these faulty streetlights have created low lighting, which impairs driver’s ability to assess speed and distance, increasing the likelihood of accidents.
You see, when drivers are exposed to low lighting for a long time, it increases fatigue and stress, leading to poor judgment and accidents. And very soon, some of these dark spots (which are mostly bus stops), will increase criminal activities such as theft, assault, among others.
I do not want to hit more on the dangers these non-functional streetlights are likely to pose, as we all may be well abreast with them.
I am therefore using this medium to call on the regional minister, Linda Akweley Ocloo, the Ghana Highways Authority, and all stakeholders to act swiftly in replacing all dysfunctional streetlights, and above all, find a lasting solution to the frequent black outs of the streetlights.
The writer, Bright T. Terkpernor, is a Journalist with the Daily Dispatch and a Columnist.