Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus Glover, a former Greater Accra Regional Minister, has said the cancellation of a major sanitation contract involving Zoomlion Ghana Limited contributed to the June 29 floods.
Titus Glover argued that the disruption to routine street sweeping and refuse collection worsened the flooding in Accra and other parts of the country.
He disclosed that the cancellation of Zoomlion’s contract has led to the accumulation of waste in drains, obstructing waterways and exacerbating flooding during heavy rains.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Big Issue, Titus Glover argued, “Another problem that I have identified is our inability to continue the sweeping in the metropolis, in the towns; the cancellation of the Zoomlion contract, from last year, for almost a year now, look at the number of refuse that are in the water and end up in the ocean”.
“The assemblies don’t have the capacity. Logistically, materially, financially, they don’t have the capacity. The person who has the capacity to do this, you’ve asked him to stop the work. He is doing it in 29 African countries. Lagos alone, he has 25 years contract, and he’s working to collect this refuse for the time,” he said.
“If there should be continuous rain for the next five hours, I can tell you the Sakumo Lagoon will overflow onto the road,” he warned.
Titus Glover also advocated for a stricter enforcement of sanitation regulations and greater accountability, adding that poor waste disposal practices should attract sanctions.
“Attitude of our people, people need to be punished. We need to set examples for people to know that what you are doing is bad,” he said.
Also, Paul Adom-Otchere, a Broadcast journalist and host of Good Evening Ghana on Metro TV, has said investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni and civil society actors have blood on their hands.
According to Paul Adom-Otchere, Manasseh Azure Awuni and other civil society actors misled President John Dramani Mahama into cancelling the contract between the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and waste management firm Zoomlion Ghana Limited.
The veteran journalist claimed that Mahama’s decision to cancel the YEA’s contract with Zoomlion Ghana Limited worsened Ghana’s sanitation challenges that led to the devastating flooding that claimed the lives of several Ghanaians.
Speaking on Good Evening Ghana, Paul Adom-Otchere stated, “15,000 street sweepers have been withdrawn because the Zoomlion contract has been terminated by YEA because Manasseh Azure said that they should terminate the contract”.
So, the president got very bad advice from his civil society people. Tonight, those civil society actors that advise the president wrongly have blood on their hands,” he stated.
According to Paul Adom Otchere, Ghana’s sanitation system had been built over years through collaboration between government, district assemblies, and development partners.
He added, “What has happened is that over the last 10 years there has been progress in securing a certain way in which environmental services provision will be delivered to local assemblies in a manner that supports modernity, in a manner that supports job creation, and in a manner that supports a better and higher standard of living for Ghanaians.
Over the last 10 years, this conversation has been going on with stakeholders in the middle of it, including international organisations and development partners. The conversations came to a conclusion during the Akufo-Addo era,” Adom Otchere noted.
It will be recalled that the Mahama-led government decided not to renew the 19-year-old contract between the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and Zoomlion Ghana Limited.
The presidency, in a letter responding to Manasseh Azure Awuni’s petition, revealed plans not to renew the Zoomlion contract.
President John Dramani Mahama, some months ago, stated that every district would be responsible for its sanitation.
According to John Mahama, the Cabinet will soon meet on the decentralisation of the sanitation budget and make every district responsible for its sanitation.
He further revealed that the performance of MMDAs will be measured by Cleanliness.
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