President cuts sod for solid waste treatment plant

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has cut the sod for the construction of a solid waste treatment facility at Kperisi in the Wa Municipality.

The facility is a public-private partnership between the Jospong Group of Companies and the Government through the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation.

It brings to 10 the number of waste management projects across the 16 regions of the country.

Addressing a short ceremony ahead of the sod cutting, President Akufo-Addo expressed hope that the solid waste treatment facilities when completed would facilitate the realization of his vision of making Ghana the cleanest country on the African continent.

“For me what even makes me happy is that we are witnessing in the establishment of this factory public-private partnership at its best,” he said.

The President noted that this was the kind of partnership the country needed for its rapid development and encouraged all to welcome and promote it to enable it to succeed to help achieve its objectives.

"I urge you people at Kperisi and indeed the entire people of Wa Municipality to give the project the maximum support to facilitate its speedy completion so you can reap the numerous benefits,” President Akufo-Addo said.

Madam Cecelia Abena Dapaah, the Minister for Water Resources and Sanitation, thanked the President for his unflinching support for the initiative and encouraged the private sector to come and fill in the value chain to make sure it becomes a very viable project.

She said the Upper West Region was generating 521 tonnes of waste daily, adding that this would now be recycled into compost and other valuable items when the project was completed.

“We do not want to see any more indiscriminate disposal of waste around the Municipality after the completion of this project,” she said and advised against the burning of waste.

Madam Dapaah noted that the establishment of the facility should be the game changer in solid waste management in the Municipality and called for a fruitful working relationship between the Municipal Assembly and the management of the facility to ensure sustainability.

Mr Joseph Siaw Agyapong, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jospong Group of Companies, said the project would be completed in four months and thanked Kperisi community for the land.

“Waste is health and when you can create the environment for people to leave in good health, then you are addressing their health challenges”, he said.

“We have come with all our tools and from today, we are going to start work and complete it in four months,” the CEO emphasized.

He said about 5,700 jobs have been created so far and that the establishment of the facility in all the 16 Regions would create 10,000 jobs.

Naa Mahama Seidu Kunlugi, the Chief of Kperisi, thanked the government for the facility, saying it would provide jobs for the youth of the community and also ensure a clean environment and healthy living among the people.