Dr Richard Fiadomor
The President of the Chamber for Local Governance (ChaLoG), Dr. Richard Fiadomor, has raised serious concerns over the allocation of a portion of the District Assemblies Common Fund to waste management company, Zoomlion Ghana Limited, describing it as “free money” with little accountability or value.
Speaking in an interview with Accra-based JoyNews TV, Dr. Fiadomor criticised the current system which allocates 8% of the Common Fund to Zoomlion at the national level, bypassing local assemblies who are the direct beneficiaries of sanitation services.
“Technically, it is just free money being given to Zoomlion. We are not getting value for the funds allocated to them. That’s the reality,” Dr. Fiadomor stated.
He argued that such direct payments from the central government create a system where there is little incentive for the company to deliver quality work.
“Even if I were given that kind of contract—getting paid without direct accountability to the district—I wouldn’t give off my best either. So let’s stop giving free money to Zoomlion,” he added.
Dr. Fiadomor called on Members of Parliament (MPs) to stop ignoring the issue and take a firm stand against the current arrangement, which he believes benefits a few individuals at the expense of effective service delivery.
“Our MPs should stop pretending. This method of paying Zoomlion at the national level for work supposed to be done at the district level is unacceptable. It should not happen,” he insisted.
He proposed that Zoomlion and similar service providers be paid directly by District Assemblies, who can better monitor and assess performance.
According to him, many Assemblies already have franchised agreements with other waste management companies that are working effectively on the ground.
“I’m not questioning Zoomlion’s capacity. But the truth is, the current arrangement does not give value to the Assemblies. That’s why waste is swallowing us in parts of the Greater Accra Region,” he pointed out.
He urged a complete review of the current structure to ensure that taxpayers’ money directly benefits the communities it is meant to serve.
A Daily Guide Report