Known as the Buz Stop Boys, a group of young professionals and shopkeepers are driving a new wave of social responsibility in Ghana, picking up brooms and shovels to clean up visible mounds of garbage in towns and cities across the country.
Their initiative won the praise of local celebrities and politicians – and caught the attention of some young people from the UK who flew to the capital, Accra, to take part in the clean-up.
“Our aim is not just to clean the streets but to change attitudes,” Buz Stop Boys leader Heneba Kwadwo Sarfo told the BBC.
“If we can make people understand that keeping their environment clean helps everyone, we will have a clean, healthy and proud Ghana.”
About 12,700 tons of solid waste is generated in Ghana each day, and only 10% is disposed of properly.
Tired of the pollution and the floods it causes, the Buz Stop Boys go around Greater Accra two to four times a week to clear blocked drains and drains, pavements and roads, and to cut overgrown grass.
The number of volunteers will vary, depending on who has free time that day.
A civil engineer, Mr Sarfo founded this group in July 2023 with only five people. He called it Buz Stop Boys, knowing that the name would resonate with the public.
“Rich and poor, everyone knows what a stop is,” said Mr Sarfo.
Her small step has now grown into a movement, with more than 40 men and women – from midwives to carpenters to military officers – joining.
“Social media has been the key to many people joining our organization,” said Mr. Sarfo.
“Through our videos, we have been able to change the way some people think, but there is still a lot of work to be done.”
It also led to a group of UK students visiting Ghana during the summer break to help with clean-up work in Ablekuma, an area in Accra notorious for its waste disposal problems.
Mr Sarfo saw their visit as a motivation for many local people to get involved.
“Don’t stay at home and say you don’t care. One thing is the key, outside [the] nature is nothing, we are not helpers, and we will not be able to live in this world,” he said.
Popular singer and human rights activist Sister Derby followed the Buz Stop Boys, praising the activists on her Instagram and X accounts.
He told the BBC that he was touched by their “selflessness”, and that he and his brother were one day cleaning a street market in central Accra.
Dancehall star and entrepreneur Shatta Wale also got behind the group, helping to raise 30,000 cedis ($1,830, £1,415) during a TikTok live event.
“These guys are real heroes. They are doing something that most of us are busy with or are proud of. If we all helped them, imagine how beautiful Accra would be,” he said.
Donations are boosted by politicians.
Former President John Mahama – who is making a fresh bid for office by running for office in December under the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) – donated 50,000 cedis, while Transport Minister Asensu Boakye – from the ruling New Patriotic Party . (NPP) – gave 10,000 cedis.
Accepting the donations, Mr Sarfo said they use the money to fund their operations – including paying for waste disposal and buying fuel for tricycles to transport waste to the landfill.
Politically neutral, the Buz Stop Boys are focused on achieving their vision of cleaning up Ghana – one street at a time.
“People must take action because waiting for the government has never worked in the past decades and records show that when there is a natural disaster, we as citizens suffer the most,” said Mr. Sarfo.
“So it is important that we wake up and help ourselves.”
Mark Wilberforce is a freelance journalist based in London and Accra.
More BBC Ghana news:
Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfricaon Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
