The Talensi District Assembly has announced plans to recruit sanitation sweepers who were previously engaged under the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) to strengthen waste management and improve environmental sanitation across the district.
The announcement follows the Government of Ghana’s decision to terminate the long-standing sanitation contract between the Youth Employment Agency and Zoomlion Ghana Limited after the agreement expired in late 2024. Under the previous arrangement, the government paid Zoomlion GH¢850 monthly for each sweeper, while the sweepers reportedly received only GH¢250, a disparity that sparked widespread public criticism.
The decision not to renew the contract came after investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni petitioned President John Dramani Mahama, presenting evidence alleging corruption and mismanagement under the sanitation arrangement.
Speaking during the nationwide National Sanitation Day exercise at Pwalugu in the Talensi District, District Chief Executive (DCE), John Millim Nabwomya, disclosed that the Assembly would recruit the former YEA sweepers once members approve the district’s mid-year budget.
He explained that the newly recruited sanitation workers would be responsible for sweeping streets and public spaces, while Zoomlion Ghana Limited would concentrate on transporting refuse from designated collection points to the district’s dumping site at Yameriga.
“The Zoomlion-YEA arrangement was terminated. As an Assembly, we have made the necessary plans. Once the Assembly approves our mid-year budget, we are going to employ people to undertake the sweeping, while Zoomlion will collect the refuse from the collection points and transport it to the dumping site at Yamerega,” he announced.
Mr. Naabwomya emphasized that sanitation should not be viewed as the sole responsibility of the Assembly or sanitation workers, urging residents to adopt cleanliness as a daily habit. He reminded residents that every Saturday should be dedicated to communal cleaning while encouraging households to maintain clean surroundings every day.
“Living in a clean environment means living free from disease. Many illnesses are avoidable if we maintain good sanitation. When the environment is dirty, it eventually affects the health of those who live in it,” he said.
The DCE expressed satisfaction with the large turnout for the sanitation exercise, commending the Chief and Queen Mother of Pwalugu, assembly members, traditional leaders, security agencies, opinion leaders, women, youth, and residents for actively participating in the clean-up. Some benevolent individuals also supported the exercise with donations of sachet water, soft drinks, and cash.
District Environmental Health Officer, Mary Welaga, commended residents for their active participation and urged them to maintain proper sanitation in their homes, shops, and communities. She cautioned that poor environmental hygiene contributes significantly to the spread of diseases and reminded residents that sanitation by-laws remain in force.
“We have gazetted by-laws, and anyone caught littering the environment or refusing to keep their surroundings clean will face the full rigours of the law,” she warned.
Former Assembly Member for the Pwalugu Electoral Area, Paul Abaa Akanaba, also appealed to residents to make environmental cleanliness a priority, stressing that prevention is better than cure. He encouraged traders to sweep around their shops daily rather than relying on Zoomlion workers.
“Zoomlion is expected to collect refuse from designated dumping sites, not to sweep in front of individual shops. Every trader has a responsibility to keep their frontage clean,” he said.
Mr. Akanaba further called on environmental health officers to enforce sanitation regulations by prosecuting habitual offenders.
“It is better to prosecute people for violating sanitation laws than to allow them to die from diseases caused by filth,” he stated.
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