A joint Parliamentary Select Committee has reiterated the call for private sector players to be supported by the state to aid in development.
According to the Joint Committee made up of the Local Government and Rural Development, Environment, Science and Technology, Works and Housing and the Finance Committee, such support will take the burden of government and allow for private sector participation in the development of the country and most importantly, the creation of job.
“Lets support our private sector to partner government to take up these challenges and help in the development of this nation.
The government cannot do it alone,” stated Emmanuel Akwesi Gyamfi Chairman of the Local Government Committee.
The Joint Committee made the call when they paid a working visit to the Osofokrom landfill site and the construction of the Solid and Liquid Waste Treatment plant by Zoomlion Ghana Limited at Asake in Takoradi in the Western region on Monday April 12, 2021.
The members of the Committee were unhappy with the state of the landfill site at Osofokrom and sort answers from the Metropolitan Chief Executive on why the place was in a mess and how far with plans to decommission the landfill site.
The MCE, Abdul-Mumin Issah MCE for Sekondi-Tarkoradi Metropolitan explained that the main challenge has been availability of funds to carry out works on the landfill site.
He added that requests have been made to both the local government and the ministry of Finance to make resources available for the decommissioning. He further added that, the Assembly finds it difficult securing the services of tractors to work on the site saying that most tractor owners do not want their tractors to be used on the site.
The Committee also visited the construction site of the Solid and Liquid Waste treatment plant at Asake and were impressed with the level of work done so far.
According to the Hon. Gyamfi, the plant which will treat solid, liquid and medical waste, will help in the sanitation situation in the region.
“Can you imagine where all the medical waste go?” He asked.
“Zoomlion is doing well and must be supported,” he suggested.
He acknowledge that this is a long term project and assured that government through the Assemblies will support the operation and management of the facility with the needed assistance.
The waste treatment plant will help the sanitation situation in the region.
Hon. Gyamfi observed that to ensure the success of the waste treatment plant in the Western region as well as the others in the other regions, government will use the part of the sanitation levy to support payment of tertiary processing of waste in the country.
The Lead Consultant on the project, Ing. Felix Atsrim, observed that the facility, which is 41% complete, when done would be a one stop shop for waste management in the municipality.
He explained that the project which sits on a 5600 metre square is constructing a 8km road at the cost of GHc55m to link the town to the project site.
The project is expected to be ready in July this year.
The visit by the Joint Committee was to enable them to assess the sanitation situation in the region.