Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies, especially in the Greater Accra Region, are calling for a review of the Sanitation Improvement Package – SIP, to allow them to take full charge of waste management.

The Sanitation Improvement Package is a 5-year waste management contract signed between the assemblies and central government, through the dissolved Ministry of Sanitation, with waste management company, Zoomlion Ghana Limited as the implementation agency.

Under the contract, Zoomlion is supposed to provide and lift refuse containers at designated collection points across the assemblies. But it is emerging that the waste management company has consistently failed to deliver on its services over the years.

This revelation was made to Parliament’s Committee on Sanitation and Water Resources, which is on a 3-day working visit to all 19 Assemblies in the Greater Accra Region.

Director for waste management at the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Engineer Solomon Noi, revealed during a presentation to the committee that, only 3 out of the 15 designated collection sites under the AMA are clean, with the refuse containers emptied. The rest 12, according to the assembly’s checks as of Sunday, April 13, 2025, are in a mess, where a number of them do not have any container on site.

For instance, Chorkor No.7, Attoh Quarshie, Chorkor No. 5, Nylander, and Chemuanaa do not have any lifting containers. The containers at Ojoe Cemetery, Mamprobi No. 13, Agbogbloshie market, Agbogblosie rail line, City Engineers, and Pasico are all full with extra heaps of refuse.

Out of the 15 sites under the AMA, Zoomlion has provided containers for only 8.

Similar concerns have been raised by the Korle Klottey assembly.

CALL FOR REVIEW OF SIP

According to the assemblies, the Ministry of Sanitation has failed to consult them before the award of the Sanitation Improvement Package contract to Zoomlion.

“We should have sat through the agreement so that if there are any observations, we make it. But, what happens is the other way round. In most cases, they’ll bring the agreement and meet the DCEs. Before it gets to the Coordinating Directors and the Sanitation Heads, there are a lot of loopholes. But by that time, the agreement has been signed," Metropolitan Coordinating Director for AMA, Douglas Annoful lamented.

He added that “unfortunately, that is what happened at the RCC the last time. We at AMA delayed because I listen to my Sanitation Manager who insisted that we look out for certain terms in the agreement; for instance, the schedule, and how many equipment the waste management operator is bringing, because there was no mention of that. It was then it became obvious that they should have met us before the signing was done. But, I only had the option of signing because I was told that, after all, I am just a witness. So, whether I sign or not, the agreement is being signed.”

The frustration of Mr. Annoful was echoed by managers at the other assemblies the committee visited.

The assemblies are calling for a review of the Sanitation Improvement Package to allow them to take full charge of their waste management.

The Committee on Sanitation and Water Resources will make a final recommendation at the end of the 3-day working visit.