Govt to give more support to waste companies
The government has promised more support for waste management companies to enable them to deliver reliable, effective and affordable services to the people.
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According to the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Julius Debrah, the support was targeted at making the companies capable of finding lasting solutions to challenges they faced in their operations, especially in the national capital, Accra.
Mr Debrah made this known when he interacted with executive council members of the Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA) in Accra. He said it had become necessary to rid Accra and other cities of filth, which is now posing health threats to residents.
The meeting between Mr Debrah and the ESPA executive was initiated in response to the spread of cholera, which has killed a number of people since its outbreak in June this year.
Following the outbreak, the Vice President, Paa Kwasi Amissah Arthur, directed all metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies (MMDAs) to join forces and rid their areas of filth.
Subsequent to that, Mr Debrah met the National Executive Council members of the ESPA a couple of weeks ago at the association’s headquarters to mobilise support to keep the environment clean.
The meeting was chaired by the Chief Executive Officer of Jospon Group of Companies and President of the ESPA, Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong.
ESPA
Dr Agyepong said the association existed to co-ordinate the operations of its members to ensure that they managed both solid and liquid waste in an environmentally friendly manner.
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"As a partner in development, ESPA maintains an active relationship with MMDAs and other partners to deliver efficient waste management services in line with the government’s plan of having a clean and a healthy environment," he said.
Challenges
Mr Agyapong also enumerated challenges waste contractors were facing.
He said the lack of adequate landfill sites, low fees charged for waste collection services in the face of high interest rates, depreciating cedi and high cost of fuel and spare parts were militating against their operations.
He, however, assured Mr Debrah of ESPA's support to help the government to achieve its objective of managing waste effectively.
The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development was commended for the show of support for the association, which the association maintained would ensure a fruitful working relationship between the two.