The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) issued notices to ten street preachers and five individuals engaged in the sale of products using a public address system in the Central Business District (CBD) for operating without a permit and making noise in violation of the 2017 AMA Abatement of Noise Bye-Law.
The Assembly’s Public Health Officers issued the notices on Friday, July 15, 2022, when they stormed the Central Business District to execute the Abatement of Noise By-Law.
During the exercise, the Head of Public Affairs at the AMA, Mr. Gilbert Nii Ankrah, stated that according to the Ghana Standards Protection Requirement for ambiance noise control code GS 122: 2018, the permissible noise level in commercial areas should be 75 decibels (dbs) during the day and 65dbs at night, whereas residential, trading, and light industrial areas should be 60dbs and 65dbs, respectively.
According to Section 9 of the AMA Abatement of Noise Bye-Law, public preachers are required to get a street preaching permission from the AMA, which requires them to adhere to the acceptable noise level from 8:00 am to 10:00 am.
He stated that, according to the Abatement of Noise Bye-law, churches and religious organizations performing services are prohibited from playing music or delivering sermons that are so loud as to disturb nearby neighbors, and that such services must take place between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m.
“A person may not play a musical instrument within 100 meters of a hospital, clinic, or other place used for the treatment of illness, or a public library,” he added. “The horn of a motor vehicle may not produce unwanted noise, either.”
He stated that the Assembly had bought new dosimeters to help manage noise in the city, and that anyone who violates the Bye-Law is guilty of an offense punishable by a fine of up to 100 penalty units upon summary conviction.
He warned street preachers and individuals who sell items using public address systems in the Central Business District to be cautious of the noise they make within the city by complying to the provisions of the 2017 AMA Abatement of Noise Bye-Law in order to avoid prosecution.