Joseph Siaw Agyapong (middle) with his Hungarian counterparts signing the deal while Atta Akyea (standing 4th left) and others look on
The Jospong Group of Companies has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Pureco Limited – a Hungarian water resource technology engineering firm – for the design and construction of a state-of-the-art, fully customised Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) in Kumasi to solve the environmental and sanitation problems of the city and its environs.
The (1000 m3/day) project is expected to begin this December and completed in the middle of 2019, at an estimated cost of about seven million euros, with additional 4.5 million euros for solid waste recycling plant.
When completed, the facility, which will be the first of its kind in the region, will treat all the liquid waste generated by the about 3 million citizens in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital, and its surrounding communities.
Currently, liquid waste generated in the region is discharged into open water bodies due to lack of a facility to treat it.
An agreement for commencement and execution of the project was signed last Friday by the Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies, Joseph Siaw Agyapong and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Pureco, Balint Horvath.
The Minister of Works and Housing, Samuel Atta Akyea, witnessed the signing of the MoU.
The facility will be managed by Sewerage Systems Ghana Limited (SSGL), the engineering, construction and procurement specialist subsidiary of the Jospong Group of Companies that focuses on the provision of efficient liquid waste treatment technologies.
Project Component
The Managing Director SSGL, Haidar Said, said the project would be funded by the Hungarian EXIM Bank, with the support of the Hungarian government and financial contribution by the Jospong Group.
“The MoU we have signed today is for the first phase of the project, which includes designing and construction of sewage septic waste facility in Kumasi,” he said.
Mr Said noted that the facility is part of the measures being put in place by the company to properly manage waste in all the 10 regions of Ghana.
He said immediately after the completion of the Kumasi facility, there would be a process to commence other facilities at Tamale and Takoradi in the Northern and Western Regions respectively.
Mr Said explained that the facility in Kumasi would have about 40 percent capacity, compared to the Lavendar Hill Treatment Plant which is owned by the same company.
In his remark, Mr Balint Horvath said his company had specialized in design and construction of sewerage and waste water treatment as well as solid waste recycling plants.
Touching on the facility in Kumasi, Mr Horvath said it would be constructed in a way that would help treat liquid waste generated, adding that the company intends to use the best of materials to come out with a modern waste facility.
Mr Atta Kyea lauded the initiative and expressed the hope that the project would help address the liquid waste situation in Kumasi.