The Parliamentary Select Committee on Sanitation and Water Resources has uncovered what many stakeholders have described as a significant contribution by Zoomlion Ghana Limited to sanitation management in the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly, following revelations that the company has been operating nine additional communal waste containers in the metropolis free of charge for more than a year.
The discovery emerged during the committee’s oversight visit to the metropolis, where officials of the assembly commended Zoomlion for its continuous support in waste management and public health interventions.
The Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), George Justice Arthur, described Cape Coast as a “citadel of everything that happens in Ghana,” citing its prominence in education, football, tourism and other sectors.
He noted that the assembly has made considerable progress in sanitation management through the implementation of an eight-year development plan and the launch of the “Dirt Free Cape Coast” initiative.
According to the MCE, the assembly is also collaborating with the numerous secondary and tertiary institutions in the metropolis to maintain environmental cleanliness.
He, however, appealed for increased allocations from the common fund to help address sanitation-related challenges.
He further disclosed that the assembly is drilling new boreholes and rehabilitating old ones to ensure a constant supply of water for residents.
Despite ongoing sanitation challenges, the MCE praised Zoomlion for its commitment to improving waste management services in the metropolis.
He revealed that the assembly is on the verge of signing a new contract with the company and appealed to government to provide additional waste trucks to complement Zoomlion’s operations.
“Zoomlion is doing very well and the assembly is collaborating effectively with them to improve sanitation and waste management for our people,” he stated.
Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Sanitation and Water Resources John Oti Bless said the committee was undertaking its constitutional oversight responsibility to assess sanitation and water delivery across Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies.
He emphasized the importance of private sector participation in sanitation management and described Zoomlion as one of the assembly’s key partners in delivering sanitation services.
“Sanitation is critical in every MMDA and that is part of the mandate given by the President to all MMDCEs. We are also monitoring how sanitation funds are being utilized under short, medium and long-term development plans, while also assessing water challenges confronting assemblies,” he said.
Head of Waste Management at the assembly, Engineer Jonas Duneebon, disclosed that under the current contractual arrangement, Zoomlion was required to operate only 15 communal containers.
He explained, however, that the company had initially deployed 24 containers in the metropolis.
When Zoomlion moved to retrieve the excess containers following the revised contract, the assembly resisted the move due to operational needs.
As a result, he said, Zoomlion agreed to continue operating an additional nine communal containers at no cost to the assembly for over one year, a revelation that drew the attention of the Parliamentary Select Committee.
Engineer Duneebon further praised the company for its swift response during last year’s cholera outbreak, noting that Zoomlion provided chemicals, personnel and equipment to support a large-scale fumigation and disinfection exercise across the metropolis.
He added that the company intensified similar interventions this year, helping to prevent any cholera outbreak in Cape Coast.
“Last year, Zoomlion supported the assembly with chemicals, manpower and equipment to fumigate and disinfect the entire metropolis during the cholera outbreak. This year, they intensified the exercise and thankfully, we have not recorded any cholera cases,” he said.
The committee’s findings have further highlighted Zoomlion’s growing role in supporting local assemblies beyond contractual obligations, reinforcing its contribution to sanitation management and public health protection in communities across Ghana.