The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) is now paying its sweepers ₵800 monthly, a significant increment from the ₵250 they received under the previous Zoomlion contract arrangement.

The development comes in the wake of a petition by investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni, which triggered the cancellation of the government’s contract with Zoomlion Ghana Limited over the payment of sweepers’ salaries.

The documentary argued that the ¢250 monthly salary failed to improve the welfare of sanitation workers.

Speaking on Nhyira FM’s 'Kro Yi Mu Nsem' show on Tuesday, July 14, Manasseh said the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly is now funding the payment of street sweepers directly from its Internally Generated Funds.

The decision, he explained, forms part of efforts to improve the conditions of service for sanitation workers and enhance waste management in the metropolis.

"The Kumasi Mayor informed me that sweepers now receive GH¢800 monthly. This marks a significant increase from the GH¢250 they earned under Zoomlion Ghana," he told host Barima Kofi Dawson-Akokoa.

He added that his petition on the working conditions of sanitation workers under Waste Management and Environmental Sanitation of Zoomlion Ghana was intended to ensure the workers received their due entitlements.

Manasseh has rejected assertions that Ghana’s sanitation sector cannot function effectively without Zoomlion. The investigative journalist said Zoomlion continues to hold several government contracts, noting that only the sweepers’ contract under the YEA-Zoomlion sanitation module has been discontinued.

He argued that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, MMDAs, are well-positioned to manage waste and sanitation issues if they are provided with the requisite equipment and resources.

He recalled that before the emergence of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, the responsibility for waste management rested with the MMDAs, and said a return to that model could improve efficiency and accountability.

"The Assemblies have the capacity to manage our waste if we provide them with the equipment," Mr. Awuni said.

Meanwhile, the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has confirmed the cost implications of the new wage structure for sweepers.

In a statement issued after an engagement with investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, Kumasi Mayor, Richard Ofori Agyeman Boadi said KMA-engaged sweepers currently receive a monthly allowance of GH¢800.

The Mayor explained that under the YEA sanitation module, the Assembly previously deployed over five hundred and eighty (580) street sweepers to maintain roads and public spaces across the metropolis. He added that KMA is now managing the same areas with only one hundred and two (102) sweepers.

The statement further clarified that the Mayor did not compare the current remuneration of KMA sweepers with the salaries or allowances previously paid by Zoomlion Ghana Limited under the Youth Employment Agency sanitation module.

The release added that any interpretation suggesting such a comparison does not reflect the Mayor's statement or the intent of his response during the interview.

It also clarified that the Sanitation Improvement Package (SIP) contract between the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and Zoomlion Ghana Limited remains in force and continues to be operational.

The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, under the leadership of Hon. Richard Ofori-Agyeman Boadi, said it remains fully committed to improving environmental sanitation through collaboration with all stakeholders and assured residents of its unwavering commitment to keeping Kumasi clean despite prevailing financial and operational constraints.