President hands over sanitation equipment to MMDAs
The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development has been instructed to ensure that the Odaw drain is desilted before the rains set in, to prevent any casualties.
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President John Mahama announced this in Accra Friday and outlined measures that had been taken by the government to ensure proper waste disposal and management. He said they included the creation of waste transfer stations and recycling plants.
He was speaking as the guest of honour at a ceremony held by waste management company Zoomlion, to present 400 waste trucks and 5,000 motorised tricycles to metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs).
He also reiterated that the discharge of raw waste into the sea at Korle Gonno in Accra would stop and 'Lavender Hill' closed down by the end of August this year, after the completion of the Mudor Faecal Treatment Plant adjacent the dump site.
President Mahama recalled that despite a court order last year that forbade the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) from continuing to dump liquid waste at the broken-down facility, the AMA was challenged with an alternative disposal site, hence the continual discharge of raw liquid waste into the sea.
He gave an assurance that the facility would be finally closed down in August.
He said the issue of waste disposal was very paramount to the government, hence the decision to engage in a public-private partnership with Zoomlion to construct facilities that would help in managing the country's waste.
President Mahama paid glowing tribute to Zoomlion and other stakeholders for their dedication in ensuring that the country's waste was properly managed and charged the MMDAs and waste management companies that were beneficiaries of the equipment to ensure they enjoyed extended life.
Reason for equipment
The Executive Chairman of Zoomlion and the Jospong Group of Companies, Mr Joseph Siaw Agyepong, said the 400 waste trucks and 5,000 motorised tricycles were valued at $50 million, adding that 5,000 more tricycles would be presented later.
He said the other beneficiaries of the waste equipment which is intended to help in managing waste in the country were members of the Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA).
Stating that Zoomlion had gone beyond an individual's interest and now belonged to all Ghanaians, Mr Agyepong said the presentation of the equipment was in line with the Group’s corporate theme for the year, "Excellent Customer Service Delivery".
"Government, no doubt, is our number one customer, so we are through this presentation satisfying our customer's need," he said, adding that because Zoomlion was able to access the equipment through an arrangement with the manufacturers, they came at no cost to the government.
Creation of employment
Mr Agyepong said apart from the fact that the tricycles and trucks were assembled locally, "As a direct consequence of the acquisition of these motorised tricycles and trucks over 11,200 jobs would be created immediately."
"With this augmented fleet we do not have any excuses for non-performance or failure. Let us all, as Ghanaians, work together to ensure the environmental health of our nation," he urged.
A Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Emmanuel Agyekum, commended Zoomlion, saying sanitation was a national driver, since it impacted on the people's health. He pledged that the equipment would be properly utilised to ensure good sanitation in the country.
Mr Agyekum said the equipment would put an end to the major challenge of the lack of equipment to properly dispose of waste that was collected during the institutionalised National Sanitation Day exercises across the country.
An exhibition was mounted by some subsidiaries of the Zoomliom Group of Companies, such as the Accra Compost and Recycling Plant (ACARP), Zoompak, Yeeco Plastics, the Universal Plastic Products and Recycling Ltd (UPPR) and KNUST Africa Institute for Sanitation and Waste Management (K-AISWAM).