Yaw Frimpong Addo speaking with the media
Chairman of Parliament’s Select Committee on Environment, Science and Technology, Yaw Frimpong Addo, has called for calm amid ongoing concerns regarding the Youth Employment Agency’s (YEA) sanitation module partnership with Zoomlion Ghana Limited.
He assured the public that the controversy will not disrupt the country’s environmental sanitation efforts, countering widespread fears to the contrary.
His remarks follow a statement by the Chief Executive of the YEA, Malik Basintale, indicating that the agency’s contract with Zoomlion for waste management will not be renewed in its current form.
According to Frimpong Addo, the narrative in the public domain does not reflect the reality on the ground. He stressed the need for urgent stakeholder engagement to clarify the facts and de-escalate the growing confusion around the issue.
He made these comments after the Committee concluded a tour of the Jospong Group of Companies’ waste treatment plants across four regions.
“Let me also emphasize that there are news items out there purporting to come from the YEA. That is not wholly true,” he stated. “People should not panic because this will not affect environmental sanitation operations.”
He noted that matters concerning YEA and its affiliated agencies under the waste management module fall within Parliament’s oversight.
He assured that the Committee would address the matter in its forthcoming report following its middle-belt tour to gather firsthand insights on waste management.
“If the allocations being discussed warrant a second look, we will highlight them in our report, which will then be debated on the floor of Parliament. That’s where the representatives of the people meet to deliberate on such matters,” he said.
“We don’t want this narrative out there suggesting Ghana is in crisis because over 40,000 workers are going to be laid off and sanitation will collapse. Certainly, it’s an issue of concern, but there’s no need to panic, it remains within Parliament’s jurisdiction to address,” he reiterated.
Frimpong Addo, who is also the Member of Parliament for Manso Adubia, emphasized the vital role of government-private sector collaboration in addressing waste management challenges and safeguarding the environment.
“We just need to engage the private sector entity and work through the issues. It’s a cooperative relationship between the government and the private sector.
“So if challenges have emerged, we simply need to sit down and examine the root causes behind the alarming headlines,” he emphasised.
The Committee’s tour covered four regions, starting in the Ashanti Region, where Members of Parliament were briefed on the operations of the Kumasi Compost and Recycling Plant (KCARP), the Wastewater Treatment Plant, and the Medical Waste Treatment Plant.
The team then visited the Western North, Bono, and Ahafo regions, where they toured Integrated Recycling and Compost Plants (IRECOP) located in Sefwi Wiawso, Sunyani, and Goaso, respectively.
