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<\/p>\nThe Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Joseph Kofi Adda, says Ghanaians should blame waste management firm, Zoomlion Ghana Limited for the level of filth that has engulfed the country.<\/p>\n
He says although government owes Zoomlion, they ought not to have reneged on their duties of sweeping and collecting refuse in the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday being engulfed with filth and finding solid waste everywhere, I feel a little disappointed and if you were to ask me why this state is so, I will put the blame squarely on Zoomlion. Zoomlion to me is the cause of it. Why, because they are not sweeping and collecting refuse every day,\u201d he said at a sanitation forum organized by the Graphic Communications Group in Accra today, Friday.<\/p>\n
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Zoomlion, a private company, has over 60,00 workers employed under the sanitation module of the Youth Employment Agency who sweep the streets and others who collect refuse from various destinations to dump sites as well as other services.<\/p>\n
Government pays the workers dotted across the country through Zoomlion, an amount many say is woefully inadequate.<\/p>\n
But the company, which has been in operation since 2006 has lamented that it is owed huge sums of money by successive governments.<\/p>\n
According to the company, it has dispensed services to the state over the years including dredging huge drains which usually caused flooding in the country but has not been paid.<\/p>\n
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We owe you huge monies but you continue to work <\/strong><\/p>\n According to Mr. Adda, despite the debt, Zoomlion should still have discharged its duties as expected of it.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think the past year or so Zoomlion has done so well on that. I know you\u2019ve been constrained just like any other service providers, you\u2019ve not been paid regularly, we owe you huge debts, we need to pay you but the mere fact that you are engaged in sanitation activity in every assembly\u2026the mere fact that you\u2019ve been present in every assembly and you know how it started, you know what you are supposed to be doing, so even if you are constrained\u2026continue to work even though you are not being paid regularly,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n We can deal with filth \u2013 Zoomlion boss<\/strong><\/p>\n Also speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Officer of Zoomlion, Joseph Siaw Agyepong, said they are capable of dealing with sanitation issues in the country but urged government to fast track the payments.<\/p>\n \u201cThe solution of waste management in Ghana is here, we shouldn\u2019t look outside, Zoomlion and its partners can deal with it and we have already put the infrastructure in place.\u201d<\/p>\n “Mr. Adda, I want to assure you that you have the serious support of Zoomlion and its partners we will help you to deliver,\u201d he assured the Sanitation Minister.<\/p>\n YEA to \u2018dump\u2019 Zoomlion for other sanitation service providers<\/strong><\/p>\n The management of the Youth Employment Agency [YEA], recently served notice they will take on new service providers<\/a><\/strong> to handle its Youth in Sanitation Module from June this year [2018], when the government\u2019s contract with Zoomlion, a subsidiary of the Jospong Group of Companies expires.<\/p>\n YEA says the decision has become necessary following its assessment of Zoomlion\u2019s service rendered to successive governments since the company was established in 2006.<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana![\"\"](\"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/graphic-forum-on-sanitation-2.jpg\")
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