President John Dramani Mahama has directed Zoomlion Ghana Limited to open all six waste transfer stations in Accra as the two-day National Cleanup Exercise moves into its second day, describing the facilities as critical to ending the cycle of flooding that has plagued the capital.
The President, addressing residents at the cleanup site on Saturday, July 11, said the transfer stations, constructed more than nine years ago, had never been operationalised, forcing waste collectors to make costly trips to disposal sites far from the city.
“Unfortunately, they were not put into operation. So, we have asked the contractor-that is, Zoomlion- to open the transfer stations so that the Aboboyas (tricycle waste collectors) and others can take the garbage to the Transfer Stations,” President Mahama said.
“They don’t need to go all the way to Amasaman to the IRECoPs,” he added.
The six facilities, located at Achimota, Teshie, Mallam, Ashaiman and Abokobi, will serve as temporary collection points where waste can be compacted before being transported to final disposal sites.
“We Will Bounce Back Better”
The President praised the turnout on both days of the exercise, describing it as “fantastic” and “very good,” while appealing to those still indoors to join the effort.
“Today the turnout is very good but I am calling on those still in their houses to come out and come and join us so we clean the city after the flood,” he pleaded.
He stressed that previous cleanup exercises had failed because waste removed from gutters was left by the roadside, only to be washed back in during rains. “Today we are going to concentrate on scooping all the garbage we took out of the gutters into these big trucks so that they take them to the dumpsite,” he said.
Acknowledging that two days would not be enough, the President announced that the military and other agencies would continue until all waste taken from drains is cleared.
“Ghana is a resilient country, Accra is a resilient city and we will bounce back better than before,” he said.
Relief and Recovery
The cleanup follows the devastating June 29 floods that claimed lives, displaced thousands, and caused widespread damage across seven regions. President Mahama has committed government funding and resources to the recovery effort, and Zoomlion has confirmed that waste collected will be sorted and processed at the Accra Compost and Recycling Plant.
Responding to the President’s directive, the Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies, Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong, welcomed the decision and reaffirmed Zoomlion’s commitment to supporting the government’s efforts to restore environmental sanitation and build resilient communities following the devastating floods.
He explained that the second day of the clean-up exercise had shifted from clearing drains to a massive waste evacuation operation, requiring unprecedented logistical support because of the enormous quantities of refuse generated by the floods. He said the company, in collaboration with the Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA), Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and other stakeholders, had significantly expanded its operations across the region.
He disclosed that approximately 150 haulage trucks, 30 compactors and road sweepers, more than 2,000 tricycle waste operators, over 1,000 Zoomlion operatives and an additional 60 long-haul trailers had been deployed to evacuate waste from flood-affected communities. He described the mobilisation as one of the largest coordinated sanitation operations undertaken in the region in recent years.
According to Dr. Siaw Agyepong, the operation was being carried out simultaneously across all 29 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the Greater Accra Region. Waste collected from affected communities was being transported through designated transfer stations, including Achimota, Jamestown and Teshie, before final conveyance to approved treatment and disposal facilities to ensure that streets, drains and public spaces were left free of debris.
He appealed to residents to complement government efforts by adopting responsible waste disposal practices, stressing that indiscriminate dumping into drains remained one of the principal causes of flooding in the capital. He observed that much of the refuse removed during the exercise had accumulated over several years and called for sustained behavioural change to protect public infrastructure and the environment.
The National General Clean-Up Exercise attracted the participation of the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, the Mayor of Accra, personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana National Fire Service, the Ghana Immigration Service, sanitation workers and thousands of volunteers. As the two-day exercise drew to a close, stakeholders expressed optimism that the renewed partnership between government and the private sector, anchored on the activation of Zoomlion’s transfer stations and expanded waste evacuation capacity, would significantly strengthen Ghana’s waste management system and contribute to a cleaner, healthier and more resilient Accra
