The Parliamentary Select Committee on Sanitation and Water Resources has continued its stakeholder engagements across the Central Region, meeting officials of the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) Municipal Assembly and key sanitation sector players to assess sanitation service delivery and strengthen collaboration.
The engagement, held at Komenda on Friday, brought together officials from Zoomlion Ghana Limited, the Community Water and Sanitation Agency, Ghana Water Company Limited, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other stakeholders in the sanitation and water (WASH) value chain.
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Chairman of the Committee and Member of Parliament for Nkwanta North, Hon. John Oti Bless, explained that the visit formed part of the Committee’s oversight responsibilities as captured in a formal communication earlier sent to relevant assemblies and institutions.
He said the Committee’s mission was to assess the state of sanitation services in various districts, understand operational challenges confronting service providers and assemblies, and identify practical solutions to improve sanitation delivery nationwide.
Hon. Oti Bless urged participants to be open and truthful in their submissions, particularly regarding their working relationships with Zoomlion Ghana Limited and other service providers.
We are here on a fact-finding mission and we expect all stakeholders to speak truthfully about the realities on the ground. We want to understand what is working, what is not working, and how together we can improve sanitation delivery for our people,” he stated.
The Municipal Coordinating Director Richmond Antwi Boateng on behalf of the MCE for KEEA welcomed the Committee and expressed appreciation for the visit, noting that such engagements help deepen accountability and improve service delivery.
He subsequently invited the Municipal Environmental Health Officer, Simon Yao Agadoh, to brief the Committee on sanitation operations within the municipality.
Agadoh described the Assembly’s relationship with Zoomlion Ghana Limited as productive and effective, particularly in waste management operations.
According to him, the municipality currently has 11 communal waste containers, although one has broken down, leaving the Assembly with only 10 functional containers.
He explained that the containers are lifted once every week and indicated that waste evacuation has generally been smooth, except for the operational challenge created by the damaged container.
We currently have no major issues with communal container services aside from the shortage caused by one faulty container, which is creating some pressure,” he said and appealed for a replacement.
On fumigation and disinfection exercises, Agadoh stated that the services are being executed effectively and have continued to meet the assembly’s expectations.
He clarified that the assembly has not received any official notice regarding termination of any sanitation contracts, stressing that existing contracts remain valid and operational.
Touching on public cleansing, he disclosed that the assembly’s previous corporate cleansing arrangement with Zoomlion naturally came to an end in 2024. In response, the assembly has temporarily engaged eight workers out of the over 268 operatives who were engaged for Zoomlion on allowance as it works toward securing permanent employment arrangements for them.
He further revealed that KEEA is preparing to roll out a waste source segregation programme aimed at encouraging households to separate waste at source.
Agadoh said the assembly believes waste segregation remains critical to improving waste recovery, recycling, and overall sanitation efficiency within the municipality.
He therefore recommended intensified public education and implementation strategies to ensure residents fully embrace waste segregation practices.
He also disclosed that while the assembly’s existing sanitation contracts continue to run effectively, plans are far advanced to engage a private company to handle public cleansing services following the end of the previous arrangement.
The Committee is expected to continue similar engagements with other assemblies and sanitation stakeholders as part of efforts to strengthen sanitation systems across the country.
In an interview, Municipal Manager of Zoomlion Mercy Quaye said her outfit will continue work assiduously to ensure that the environment is clean to save lives in the municipality.
She said relationship is everything and she assured that cordial relationship between the two entities will continue to be paramount to them.
