The Office of the President says the sanitation module contract between the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and waste management firm Zoomlion Ghana Limited, which expired in 2024, will not be renewed.
It also assured that all payments made to Zoomlion after the contract’s expiry will be audited thoroughly and any unauthorised disbursements recovered.
In a letter dated June 11 responding to a petition by investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, the Presidency indicated that sweepers under the module would be paid more liveable allowances.
“Expiration of Contract: The contract between Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and Zoomlion Ghana Limited (‘Zoomlion’) has expired and will not be renewed.
“Audit of Payments and Claims: All payments made to Zoomlion after the contract’s expiration will be thoroughly audited. No further payments will be authorised without proper verification, and any unauthorised payments will be recovered,” the letter stated in part.
It added, “Sweeper Fees: With probable cost savings, the government intends to increase the sweeper fees to a more liveable income.”
In his petition seeking the contract’s discontinuation, Manasseh revealed that the contract, which expired in September 2024, allocated GHS850 per worker monthly to Zoomlion.
Out of this amount, GHS258 was paid directly to each sweeper, while the remaining GHS592 was retained by the company for administrative purposes.
According to Manasseh, the arrangement was unfair to the sweepers and riddled with discrepancies.
He argued that the number of workers Zoomlion presents for payment does not reflect the actual number on the ground.
