The Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs (MLGCRA), which has responsibility for sanitation, has made a shocking revelation that the government owes Zoomlion Ghana Ltd a staggering GHC1.2 billion for services provided over the past two years.
The Minister of Local Government, Ahmed Ibrahim, made this revelation on Adom TV in Accra while addressing questions about delayed payments to firms under the Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA).
The debt, inherited from the previous administration, has been a cause of significant concern for the current government, he said.
Despite this, Ibrahim stressed the importance of collaboration between the government and private waste management companies such as Zoomlion to address Ghana’s waste management challenges.
“We are collaborating closely with Zoomlion to address waste management challenges in the country, particularly focusing on recycling plastic waste,” the minister said.
“Unparalleled commitment”
He stressed the necessity for the government to forge robust partnerships with private waste management firms, while commending Zoomlion for its state-of-the-art sanitation infrastructure.
According to Ibrahim, Zoomlion’s substantial investments in modern solid and liquid waste treatment and recycling facilities nationwide remain unique. He conceded that the Government of Ghana does not have such infrastructure to deal with the waste being generated daily in cities.
“Zoomlion’s commitment to building advanced waste management systems across Ghana remains unparalleled,” Ahmed Ibrahim said.
Even as he admitted the government’s lack of comparable infrastructure, he stressed the urgency of public-private collaborations to tackle challenges with sanitation.
Sea dump
The minister also highlighted Zoomlion’s expanded role beyond waste collection, including management of faecal waste.
He warned of a nationwide sanitation crisis should Zoomlion halt operations, recalling the past practice in which faecal waste was dumped directly into the sea, causing environmental and health hazards.
He noted that Zoomlion’s liquid waste recycling plants now process sewage into compost and charcoal, aligning with a 2016 ban on disposal at sea initiated by President Mahama during his first term in office.
Ahmed Ibrahim expressed his support for greater government attention to sanitation, citing the cholera outbreak in cities along the coast such as Cape Coast, Winneba and Takoradi in October 2023. The minister also called for intensified public education on sanitation risks.
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