Addressing sanitation and its accompanied waste management issues have been given a giant boost and leap as the government of Ghana under the leadership of H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in partnership with Jospong Group of Companies (JGC) on Tuesday 8th June 2021 unveiled 500 new waste management trucks.
This is meant to provide an effective waste collection regime in Ghana.
The unveiling of the new trucks, is the quest to maintain a high level of cleanliness across the country to prevent the outbreak of infectious diseases and protect public health and environment.
According to the President, the country’s next phase of waste management is to convert waste to energy.
He said this will add to Ghana’s energy capacity and also ensure the realisation of the clean Ghana agenda.
He said the rapid population growth has increase waste generation among the citizens whereas about7, 517,540 metric tonnes of waste are generated in the country.
This situation, he said, needed immediate attention which private sector waste management service providers should take advantage to partner with the government to provide an immediate solution.
Emphasizing that, the government of Ghana will continue to with partner the private sector (Zoomlion Ghana Limited) to create a conducive environment for the people.
Hon. Henry Quartey, Greater Accra Regional Minister in his opening remarks said, the unveiling of these trucks will serve as a great boost to their campaign and another similar initiative across the nation.
According to him, the unveiling of these trucks, confirms the need for government to continue to engage with the private sector as enshrined in the National Sanitation Policy (2010) to deliver a sustainable solution to the national problems.
“Upon assuming office as the Greater Accra Regional Minister, I initiated the ‘Let’s Make Accra Work Again Project’ which is basically to give impetus to the President’s vision and ensure that as leaders and citizens we all play our role to make that vision a reality. The objective of this project is to maintain a high level of cleanliness within the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area to prevent the outbreak of infectious diseases and protect public health and the environment”.
He, however, noted that his outfit will continue to partner Zoomlion and its affiliates and the Environmental Services Providers Association (ESPA) to provide quality service to our communities especially within Greater Accra, however, he added that, the citizenry must also play their role and avoid littering indiscriminately after the waste has been collected.
In a short statement, the Executive Chairman of Jospong Group of Companies (JGC), Dr Joseph Siaw-Agyepong, disclosed that his outfit was unveiling 100 trucks with modern technology and well-trained drivers to boost their already existing fleet.
He said this was part of a total consignment of five hundred (500) new waste trucks acquired by his group.
“It is expected that the remaining trucks should arrive by the end of the third quarter of this year,” he added.
Additionally, he revealed that JGC was on the verge of receiving over 5,000 motorised tricycles.
These tricycles, he said, will be distributed across the country to support the haulage of solid waste in the cities and communities.
He underscores that Jospong Group through its subsidiary Zoomlion Ghana Limited is honoured to be partnering with the Government to provide effective and sustainable waste management.
He used the opportunity to announce that a new phase has been added to his company’s operations
“Our drivers have been taken through rigorous training on discipline, defensive driving and customer service to ensure that they deliver service at an optimum standard,” he said.
For her part, the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Mrs Cecilia Abena Dapaah, commended the President for his unwavering commitment to ensure that Ghana becomes the cleanest country in Africa.
She said under the presidency of Akufo-Addo, her ministry, the first of its kind in the history of Ghana, has achieved a lot in the sanitation space.
She pointed out that her ministry has had some excellent working relations with stakeholders in the sanitation sector,” thereby lauding Zoomlion for its tremendous role in the sector.
In conclusion, Hon Cecilia Abena Dapaah noted that the government through her outfit is poised to support the private sector and to create the enabling environment for the sector to thrive.
