Ghanaian investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has called for the discontinuation of the sanitation module contract between the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and waste management firm Zoomlion Ghana Limited.
Manasseh argued that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) do not need any middleman to supervise sweepers and ensure proper sanitation in their jurisdictions.
The Acting Chief Executive Officer of the YEA, Malik Basintale, had earlier assured that he would not renew the contract in its current form, citing the low salaries paid to sweepers as a major concern.
However, in a social media post responding to the YEA boss, Manasseh—who had earlier called for the contract’s abolition—insisted that sweepers should report directly to the assemblies and be paid the full amount allocated to them in the contract.
He insisted the contract expired in September 2024 so there is currently no contract to be reviewed by the YEA boss.
“The issue is not about reviewing the contract or renewing it in another form. It must be discontinued completely.
“We don’t need a middleman between the assemblies and the people who sweep their markets. Let the sweepers report to the assemblies so that they are paid directly and in full. Even if we give all the 850 cedis to them, it won’t be enough in this economy,” he wrote.
According to Manasseh, many of the assemblies, including the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), already employ and supervise their own sweepers because they do not have control over those managed by Zoomlion and cannot account for their work.
“That arrangement has bred so much corruption. If you won’t take my word and the evidence of my investigations, look at page 131 of the GYEEDA report, which President Mahama commissioned in 2013 when I first investigated this. There’s a copy in your office.
“Zoomlion is involved in too many shady deals, and keeping the company in this arrangement will defeat the purpose. You have my support in fighting for the best for our country. I wish you well, my brother,” Manasseh stressed.
