Mahama Ayariga, the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, has apologised to residents of Adipa and surrounding communities over the disruption caused by the Agbogbloshie waste transfer.
The Local Government Minister acknowledged that the movement of large numbers of waste trucks, particularly at night, has created traffic and noise-related inconvenience.
Mahama Ayariga apologised for the inconvenience, assuring residents that the exercise is expected to be completed within a month.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Monday, September 28, Mahama Ayariga stated, “I do understand that as of now, because of the number of trucks that are moving there, there will be some inconvenience in terms of motoring traffic along the routes and in that area.”
“So I do apologise for that inconvenience. But it won’t be long. Within a month or so, we would have finished the evacuation exercise, and so they won’t be experiencing such volumes.”
Meanwhile, residents of Adipa in the Nsawam-Adoagyiri Municipality of the Eastern Region have given the John Mahama government a seven-day ultimatum to stop the transfer of waste from the Agbogbloshie landfill to the Adipa engineered landfill.
The Adipa residents expressed worry over the development, arguing that the decision was taken without adequate consultation with the affected community.
Emmanuel Asamoah, the Assembly Member for the Adipa/Asiaw Electoral Area, demanded an independent environmental and health impact assessment on the dumping site.
According to the Assembly member, the assessment should be followed by a comprehensive cleanup and decontamination of affected areas.
The Adipa residents are also demanding permanent security barriers and other measures to prevent illegal dumping, as well as a public forum within seven days where municipal authorities will present a transparent, long-term waste management plan for the area.
Addressing journalists on Monday, September 28, the Assembly member stated, “We are not against a fair, well-regulated waste management system, but we are against being treated as an afterthought, a convenient dumping ground for problems the capital does not want to face at all”.
“If within the seven days, which starts from today, exactly one week from today, if we don’t hear any response from the government, responsible authorities, the operating company, we are going to block all roads leading to the dumping site.”
Also, the Member of Parliament for Nsawam Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, has fired shots at President John Dramani Mahama over his government’s decision to evacuate tonnes of waste from the Odaw River area at Agbogbloshie and transport it to the Adepa Engineered Landfill site at Nsawam in the Eastern Region.
According to Annoh-Dompreh, communities around Nsumia were already contending with what he described as deadly and poisonous leachate from the landfill site.
In a social media post on September 21, 2026, the Minority Chief Whip shared a video and pictures showing leachate, a toxic liquid runoff from waste, flowing from the Nsumia landfill site into the surrounding community.
He argued that the situation poses a serious threat to the environment and the livelihoods of residents, arguing that the community’s water tables have been poisoned while plants and animals are also at risk.
The Nsawam Adoagyiri further questioned why the Mahama government was adding what he described as more pain and misery to an already difficult situation.
He wrote, “Mr President; we are already contending with deadly & poisonous leachate from the landfill site @ Nsumia & its environs. Water tables have been poisoned, flora & fauna are at risk. Why are you & your government adding more pains & miseries to our pathetic situation?
Your government will have to contend with me & my people @ Adepa, Nsumia & its environs in the coming weeks!”.
In another post on X, Annoh-Dompreh accused the Mahama government of failing to engage stakeholders in the area before transporting the waste to the landfill site.
According to the MP, the waste was being dumped without proper consultation, adding that residents would resist the move in order to draw the government’s attention to fundamental and basic concerns.
He added, “No engagement with stakeholders, just ‘hurling’ & dumping of ‘waste’ on us!; this is wrong & we shall resist to draw government’s attention to concerns- which are fundamental & basic, Mr President!”.
The development follows President Mahama commissioning a National Emergency Waste Evacuation Exercise at Agbogbloshie, a major operation to clear accumulated waste at Agbogbloshie in Accra and pave the way for the redevelopment of the area.
The National Emergency Waste Evacuation Exercise at Agbogbloshie in Accra will be transported to the Adepa Waste Management landfill site at Nsawam.
The Ghana Armed Forces and private sector operators are expected to remove an estimated one million tonnes of waste from the site within 90 days.
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