Waste management equipment commissioned

Accra (Greater Accra), 13th July 99 ?

Equipment worth 8.3 million dollars to boost the services of the Waste Management Department (WMD) of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), was on Monday commissioned in Accra.

They included 52 rear-loading compaction trucks, 15 roll-on/roll-off trucks and 395 three-cubic metre containers, and are expected to increase the WMD's daily waste collection capacity from 700 tonnes to 1,200 tonnes.

Mr Kwamena Ahwoi, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development commissioned the equipment.

He said a joint public-private sector consortium, City and Country Waste Limited, would operate the machinery and supervised by the WMD.

AMA and Chagnon Waste Management Group of Canada, providers of the machinery, hold 25 per cent shares each while local waste disposal companies have the remaining 50 per cent.

According to Mr Ahwoi, AMA bore 7.1 million dollars of the total cost while Chagnon took care of the remaining 1.2 million dollars in the form of a loan to the AMA.

AMA's Chief Executive is by virtue of his position not only a director of the company but also the Chairman of its Board.

Under the arrangement, the metropolis has been divided into 10 solid waste collection zones in the six sub-districts.

No fees would be charged for dumping into the containers. AMA revenue collectors would levy residences and other premises.

Members of Parliament of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) caucus have threatened legal action against the agreement claiming, among other things, that AMA could not meet the repayment costs of the facility.

Mr Ahwoi said it was partly in anticipation of such a problem and to support the sanitation requirements of other cities that Cabinet approved the National Environmental Sanitation Policy.

Under the policy, sanitation is to be given national budgetary support since waste management in cities "is too enormous to be left to metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies alone."

Mr Ahwoi said if it is true, as claimed by the NPP, that AMA procedures were breached in negotiating the agreement then the AMA Chief Executive should investigate the claims and rectify the anomalies.

"If in the course of implementing the agreement any conditions or situations are brought to our attention, which warrant a review of any provision of the agreement, we will not hesitate to direct the AMA to seek their review."

He assured local waste contractors, including donkey and cart users, that the new facility would not render them redundant.

Mr Daniel Ohene Agyekum, Greater Accra Regional Minister, who presided, said the public-private sector collaboration in the agreement represents a collective will to keep the nation's capital clean.

GRi?/