Communities in the eastern corridor of the Greater Accra Region are on the brink of a sanitation emergency after authorities confirmed that the only operational landfill serving the area could reach full capacity within a month if urgent measures are not taken.

The warning emerged during an inspection visit by the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, to the Tema Controlled Dumpsite at Kpone on Monday, February 23, 2026. 

The visit followed briefings to the Ministry indicating that the facility, which serves as the final disposal site for hospital, domestic, and industrial waste generated in eastern Accra, was nearing exhaustion.

The Minister was accompanied by the Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, Ebi Bright; the Municipal Chief Executive for Kpone-Katamanso, Samuel Tetteh Quarshie Morton; the Ashaiman MCE, Freeman Tsekpo; officials of the Ministry; representatives of Waste Landfills Company Ltd; and officers from affected assemblies.

Mr Ibrahim said the purpose of the visit was to assess conditions firsthand and determine what formal brief should be submitted to President John Dramani Mahama.

“If critical steps are not taken, in about one month, the entire eastern part of Accra, covering about 10 metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies, will have nowhere to dump their waste,” he stated.

He cautioned that waste operators from Accra East could be compelled to transport refuse as far as Nsawam, a development he described as financially and logistically unsustainable.

“Yes, it is true. We are sitting on a sanitation time bomb,” the minister said.

Mr Ibrahim disclosed that approximately 25 million US dollars from the World Bank had previously been earmarked for landfill development, while a private sector-led integrated waste management treatment plant is under construction at Agomeda. He noted that delays in executing these interventions had compounded the current pressures.

He stressed that constructing a properly engineered landfill could take between six months and more than a year, highlighting the need for immediate stop-gap measures.

In response to the looming crisis, the Minister has convened an emergency meeting with the Greater Accra Regional Minister and all 29 Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives in the region on Friday, February 27, 2026. Each assembly is expected to present a detailed update on sanitation and landfill management within its jurisdiction.

The findings will be compiled into a Cabinet Information Paper for deliberation.

“The President will be there, the Minister for Finance will be there, and the Ministers for Lands, Water, and Health will all be there. We will take decisive action,” he assured.

Meanwhile, the minister has directed the contractor managing the Kpone facility to enforce strict safety protocols, including the mandatory use of personal protective equipment, to safeguard workers and informal waste pickers.

The Head of Waste Management at the Tema Metropolitan Assembly, Bertha Essel, disclosed that the dumpsite, originally designed to operate for between 15 and 25 years, had long exceeded its projected lifespan.

“The design airspace of 16 metres has been exhausted. We are now operating beyond 24 metres,” she said.

She cited recurring fire outbreaks, leachate overflow, deteriorating access roads, and congestion caused by daily waste inflows estimated at between 600 and 800 tonnes as critical operational challenges.

The Municipal Chief Executive for Kpone-Katamanso, Samuel Morton, recalled a major fire outbreak at the landfill in January 2026, which left nearby communities shrouded in thick smoke for several days.

“It nearly resulted in demonstrations by residents. People are worried about their health and the safety of their children,” he said.

Anthony Atidzornu, a contractor with Waste Landfills Company Ltd, the managers of the site, warned that the growing height of waste heaps has complicated fire control efforts, while leachate management and vehicular congestion during peak disposal hours pose additional safety risks.