Government is set to review Ghana’s waste management system following an assessment of major waste management facilities in the Greater Accra Region by Hon. Mahama Ayariga.
The assessment, which covered the Accra Compost and Recycling Plant (ACARP), Achimota and Jamestown Waste Transfer Stations, and the Kpone landfill, focused on identifying gaps across waste collection, transportation, treatment, recycling and final disposal.
Hon. Mahama Ayariga said the review must begin at the source, with households encouraged to separate waste before collection. He also called for strategically located transfer stations and treatment facilities to improve efficiency and reduce the cost of transporting waste over long distances.
A major component of the proposed reforms is the adoption of the polluter-pays principle, requiring households, businesses and industries to contribute towards the management of the waste they generate.
Hon. Mahama Ayariga further stressed the need for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to strengthen the collection of property rates, market rates and other statutory revenues to finance sanitation services, while ensuring transparency and accountability in the use of such resources.
He cautioned against excessive reliance on the Common Fund to finance waste management in Accra, noting that locally generated revenue should play a greater role in sustaining sanitation services.
The tour also provided an opportunity to explore investment opportunities in Ghana’s waste management infrastructure. The Vice President for Operations and Secretary General of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), Dr. Fatima Elsheikh, participated in the exercise and expressed the Bank’s willingness to support Ghana’s efforts to strengthen the sector
ADVERTISEMENT
