The Chinese government has pledged support towards efforts by Zoomlion Ghana to rid the capital city and its environs of insanitary conditions.

Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Her Excellency Sun Baohong, said the progress made by the waste management company needs to be encouraged.

She made the comments after a tour of the Accra Compost and Recycling Plaint (ACARP) which is being managed by Zoomlion Ghana.

ACARP is an integrated waste processing and recycling company established to collect, sort, process and recycle solid and liquid waste to produce organic compost for agronomic purposes in Ghana and the sub-region

The Chinese Ambassador and her delegation also visited Lavender Hill in Accra, where the construction of a faecal treatment plant is ongoing.

After touring other Zoomlion Ghana facilities in Accra the Chinese Ambassador said she was impressed by the dedication of the waste management company to convert waste into useful resources.

“We have seen that this company is up to the task in helping to deal with the waste problems the country faces. We believe the visit is of long term relevance. What we have seen here today is thought provoking and I must say we are very impressed with the kind of work that is going on,” she told Executive Chairman of Jospong and Zoomlion Group of Companies, Joseph Siaw Agyepong.

Mr Siaw Agyepong disclosed that his company is only able to process 600 metric tonnes of a total of 3000 metric tonnes of wast generated in Accra daily.

“It is incumbent on government to work hand-in-hand with the private sector to ensure the wastes are properly collected, sorted and processed for the benefit of all of us. By doing so, we arrest the perennial health issues and at the same time provide jobs for the people, especially the youth,” Mr Siaw Agyepong said.

He said he was working assiduously to establish a recycling plant in the Ashanti Reigon.

According to him, Ghana currently spends huge sums of money on the importation of organic waste materials annually, suggesting that with enough investment in the sector, Ghana could become the next exporter of organic compost.

He said the Jospong and Zoomlion Group of Companies have a target to significantly address Ghana’s waste problems by 2018 by which time Zoomlion would have made progress in exporting significant quantities of organic compost.

 “We shall address all the existing problems facing waste management in the country to create jobs for the young people in the country,” Siaw Agyepong said.