Zoomlion Equips MMDAs With 500 Trucks
Critics may say “It isn’t much” but the vehicles pictured in the Publisher’s pages would in the next decade or so, be used as arsenals to conquer the menace of filth and unsanitary conditions that has since engulfed the nation―Ghana.
Unveiling the new vehicles and equipment at the Black Star Square, last Friday, the Executive Chairman of waste management giant—Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong said, the gesture was part of plans to augment government’s effort in making Accra the cleanest city in Africa and subsequently ridding Ghana of filth.
500 new waste management trucks with the requisite number of containers and an equally large number of tricycles were officially handed over to newly-created Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
Handing over the items to the MMDAs, Mr. Agyepong noted the donation “would create additional 300 direct and about 1,000 indirect jobs in our MMDAs.”
He stressed that the timely intervention of Zoomlion in 2016 alone saw the distribution of 400 waste trucks and 5,000 motorized tricycles to the MMDAs which in turn created over 10,000 jobs.
“We see our contribution as an essential aspect of our role as private sector players. I would like to emphasize that with the continuous support of government, Zoomlion can deal effectively with the waste management situation in the country,” he stated.
Mr. Agyepong assured that his company will continue to support the policies, plans, programmes and projects on waste management and incessantly work with all stakeholders to bring to fusion the “Clean Ghana Dream”.
The charge
Delivering a keynote address at the event, the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), Hajia Alima Mahama
charged the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to work hard to make the donation worthwhile.
“It is the responsibilities of district assemblies to take care of sanitation…if sanitation is an issue, we would have to point hands at our MMDAs,” she said.
To completely fix the dysfunctional sanitation sector, Hajia Mahama enjoined other private companies to join the national sanitation campaign.
She said, “When you look at the whole country―10 regions, 245 district assemblies there is a lot of work in the area of sanitation so I am inviting other private sector participation in this area.”
Wealthy waste
The Deputy Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Michael Gyato, however highlighted the need for Ghana to invest in turning her waste to wealth.
“The value of waste in a 360-degree cycle is full of business opportunities which I dare say can accommodate all the unemployed in the country if only we can see waste as wealth and accord it the required attention,” he said.
Zoom to the rescue
Aside the release of vehicles, zoomlion will go ahead to build the capacities of waste management officers in waste collection methodology to enable them perform their task well.
The company will further distribute millions of bins to households―a goodwill they have embarked on time and gain.
Aside this, they plan to digitize bins by placing RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) stickers on the dustbins to ensure that bins are lifted every day.
This will allow for constant supervision and tracking of uncollected bins.
This innovation according to them, is in line with the government’s digitization efforts.
Zoomlion is also partnering with the School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences to find culturally acceptable solutions for waste to energy systems.
By Grace Ablewor Sogbey
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