Accra: The Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, has announced plans to formalise waste transfer loading stations and integrate tricycle waste collectors into Ghana's long-term sanitation framework. This initiative aims to establish a more comprehensive and sustainable approach to waste management across the country.
According to Ghana Web, Ibrahim shared this development during a visit to the Zoomlion Integrated Recycling and Compost Plant (IRECOP) in Accra, which is currently serving as a transfer station at Jamestown. He revealed that five out of the six designated waste transfer stations in the Greater Accra Region are now operating at full capacity, following government intervention to manage the large volumes of refuse generated after the recent National Sanitation Day exercise.
The facilities at Abokobi, Teshie, Achimota, Ashaiman, and Jamestown were reopened under the directive of President John Dramani Mahama to expedite waste evacuation and prevent a potential public health crisis. To facilitate this, routine administrative procedures, including waste weighing charges at transfer station gates, have been temporarily suspended to ensure the swift movement of refuse.
Despite the progress, Ibrahim noted that the Malam transfer station remains non-operational due to the absence of an access road. National Security, in collaboration with the 48 Engineer Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces, has been tasked with completing the road to enable the facility to begin operations and alleviate pressure on the existing transfer stations.
Ibrahim mentioned that the Jamestown transfer station receives waste from about 800 of the estimated 4,000 tricycle waste collectors operating daily in the Greater Accra Region. To prevent congestion, particularly given its proximity to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, the government has introduced a 24-hour operational system, where tricycle operators discharge waste during the day, and articulated trucks transport compacted refuse overnight to engineered landfill and recycling facilities in the Eastern Region.
The minister defended the Public-Private Partnership model, stating that effective waste management requires significant investment in infrastructure, equipment, logistics, and technical expertise. He commended the Jospong Group of Companies for providing heavy equipment and operational support on credit, which helped avert a potential major public health emergency.
Furthermore, Ibrahim announced that the ministry is developing a sustainable business model to regularise tricycle waste collectors and integrate them into the formal waste management system. The government plans to engage the Council of State Sub-committee on Sanitation, seek Cabinet approval for the policy, and work with the Ministry of Finance to secure funding for engineered landfill sites and modern waste processing infrastructure.