Kwamena Duncan cutting the sod for the project to start
The Central Region has become the latest region to benefit from the ongoing integrated recycling and compost plants being constructed across the country by the government through a public-private arrangement with Zoomlion Ghana Limited (ZGL) and its partners – Komptech.
With the exception of the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions whose plants have been inaugurated, works are currently ongoing on solid waste treatment plants in all the regions.
It was all joy for the people of the Central Region as the sod was cut for the construction of the Central regional solid waste treatment plant at Mankessim in the Mfantseman Municipality of the Central Region.
Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan, stressed that the integrated recycling and composting plant formed part of the President’s plan to ensure all parts of the country became clean.
He said the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources (MSWR) supervised the evacuation of outmoded dumpsites in the region recently and there was going to be the deployment of modern technology to manage waste, and lauded Zoomlion Ghana Limited and its partners for the project while also commending the Chief of Mankesim, Nana Krampa VI, for making available a 100-acre land for the solid waste treatment plant.
The Sanitation and Water Resources Minister, who was represented by Kweku Quansah, disclosed that only 65 per cent of wastes generated were properly disposed of in the country, saying “So what happens to the 35% uncollected? That goes into our gutters causing flooding. That is why we need such facilities to process them into renewable use.”
The Deputy Managing Director of Zoomlion, Gloria Anti, said the state-of-the-art facility, when completed would provide sustainable solid waste management solutions in the country.
She said the plant was a 400-ton waste treatment facility and was expected to recover and recycle over 60% of the organic fraction of the waste into compost to boost the agricultural sector and support the Planting for Food and Jobs agenda while other recyclable materials would also be separated and processed for reuse.
She said the Central Region generated about 990,000 waste annually, most of which went into landfills making it hazardous; the facility has the potential of curbing this problem.
She said when completed, “the project will create 250 indirect and 75 direct jobs respectively and commended President Akufo-Addo for his vision and commitment towards ensuring that development was equitably distributed in the country.
For his part, the acting President of Mankessim Traditional Council, Okumanyin Adoko, expressed his commitment towards supporting the project to succeed.
It was his hope that the project would create jobs for the youth in the area to help mitigate the unemployment challenges among the youth.