President John Dramani Mahama has directed the immediate operationalisation of all the waste transfer stations managed under Zoomlion Ghana Limited to accelerate refuse evacuation and strengthen waste management systems in the Greater Accra Region following the recent floods.
Addressing residents during the second and final day of the National Clean-up Exercise at Alajo, Accra, on Saturday, July 11, he said the transfer stations, constructed more than nine years ago, had never been operationalised, forcing waste collectors to make costly trips to disposal sites far from the city.
“Unfortunately, they were not put into operation. So, we have asked the contractor, Zoomlion, to open the transfer stations so that the Aboboyas and others can take the garbage to the Transfer Stations,” President Mahama said.
“They don’t need to go all the way to Amasaman to the IRECOPs,” he noted.
The President described the initiative as an important step towards building a more sustainable waste management system for Accra, stressing that effective sanitation requires both functional infrastructure and responsible behaviour from citizens.
Under the arrangement, Zoomlion will deploy heavy-duty trucks to move waste accumulated at the transfer stations to approved treatment and final disposal facilities, reducing pressure on collection systems and improving efficiency in waste evacuation.
The six transfer stations, located at Achimota, Teshie, Kpone, Ashaiman, Pantang and Adipa, will serve as temporary collection points where waste can be compacted before being transported to final disposal sites.
These disposal sites include the Accra Compost and Recycling Plant (ACARP) and the Accra Integrated Recycling and Compost Plant (IRECOP).
Zoomlion has confirmed that the stations are now operational and receiving waste generated during the exercise.
The President praised the turnout on both days of the exercise, describing it as “fantastic” and “very good,” while appealing to those still indoors to join the effort.
“Today the turnout is very good but I am calling on those still in their houses to come out and come and join us so we clean the city after the flood,” he pleaded.
He stressed that previous cleanup exercises had failed because waste removed from gutters was left by the roadside, only to be washed back in during rains.
“Today we are going to concentrate on scooping all the garbage we took out of the gutters into these big trucks so that they take them to the dumpsite,” he said.
Acknowledging that two days would not be enough, the President announced that the military and other agencies would continue until all waste taken from drains is cleared.
“Ghana is a resilient country, Accra is a resilient city and we will bounce back better than before,” he said.
Responding to the President’s directive, the Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group, Dr. Jospeh Siaw Agyepong, welcomed the move and reaffirmed Zoomlion’s commitment to supporting government efforts to restore environmental sanitation after the floods.
He explained that the second day of the exercise had shifted into a major waste evacuation operation, with large volumes of refuse removed from homes, drains and public spaces requiring significant logistical support.
He said Zoomlion, in collaboration with the Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA), Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and other stakeholders, had expanded its operations across the Greater Accra Region to ensure effective waste removal.
Dr Siaw Agyepong disclosed that the exercise involved about 150 haulage trucks, 30 compactors, road sweepers, more than 2,000 tricycle waste operators and over 1,000 Zoomlion operatives, with an additional 60 long-haul trailers deployed on the second day to increase evacuation capacity.
According to him, the operation was being carried out simultaneously across all 29 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the Greater Accra Region, with teams deployed to communities affected by the floods.
He said collected waste would be channelled through designated transfer stations before being transported to approved treatment and disposal facilities, ensuring that debris removed from drains and streets does not remain in communities.
Dr. Siaw Agyepong also appealed to residents to support sanitation efforts by adopting responsible waste disposal practices, noting that much of the refuse removed during the exercise had accumulated over several years.
Following the President’s directive, the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, undertook a follow-up assessment of the waste management chain, including visits to some transfer stations and the Accra Integrated Recycling and Compost Plant (IRECOP), to ascertain their readiness and capacity to support the clean-up exercise.
He expressed appreciation to President Mahama for authorising the opening and utilisation of the facilities, noting that the move would significantly improve waste collection and transportation across the Greater Accra Region.
He also commended Dr. Siaw Agyepong for providing the infrastructure and facilities needed to support government’s sanitation agenda, describing the partnership as an important contribution towards addressing the country’s waste management challenges.
According to the Minister, the transfer stations have the capacity to operate continuously, including on a 24-hour basis, to receive waste from communities and support the evacuation process whenever the need arises.
He cautioned that preventing sanitation-related challenges was far cheaper than treating the health consequences associated with poor environmental conditions, adding that resources spent on medical interventions could be reduced significantly when citizens maintain cleaner surroundings.
At the Accra IRECOP facility, officials were taken through the process of how collected waste is received, sorted, recycled and converted into useful resources rather than simply being sent to landfill sites.
The Technical Manager of IRECOP, Ing. Joseph Owusu Sarkodie, explained that the facility treats waste as a resource, using mechanical and manual sorting systems to separate plastics, metals, paper and organic materials.
He said recovered plastics are processed into raw materials for plastic industries, metals are packaged for steel companies, while organic waste undergoes composting to produce materials suitable for agriculture, landscaping and other uses.
The engagement highlighted government’s renewed focus on moving away from a disposal-only approach towards a circular waste management system where waste recovery, recycling and composting become key components of sanitation management.
The National General Clean-Up Exercise attracted the participation of the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, the Mayor of Accra, security agencies including the Ghana Armed Forces, Ghana Police Service, Ghana National Fire Service and Ghana Immigration Service, as well as thousands of residents and volunteers.
As the exercise concluded, stakeholders expressed optimism that the activation of transfer stations, increased logistics deployment and stronger collaboration between government and private sector partners would improve waste management and contribute to building a cleaner and more resilient Accra.