President cuts sod for waste treatment plant in Bono Region

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has cut the sod for work to begin on a solid waste treatment facility at Wawasua in the Bono Region.

The project is a collaboration between the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources (MSWR) and Zoomlion Ghana Limited as well as its private-sector partners and is aimed at improving sanitation in the region.

Upon completion, the plant will receive solid waste from Sunyani and its environs which will be processed into re-useable materials such as compost for agricultural use.

The 400-tonne per day solid waste processing facility will also provide jobs, improve waste collection and ultimately make Sunyani a clean city.

Services

It will have facilities such as a power distribution unit, compost and sorting workshops, offices, dressing rooms and a restaurant.

The facility will also have a weighing bridge, washing bay, clinic, laboratory and a plastic waste recycling unit.

Making Ghana clean

The Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Mrs Cecilia Abena Dapaah disclosed that Ghana currently produced over 20,000 tonnes of waste and as such constructing waste treatment facilities across all the 16 regions of the country would help reduce the amount of waste that remained in “our communities.”

She was optimistic that with such intervention, Ghana was on course to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on sanitation.

According to her, the government was ready to support private institutions whose vision met that of the government to promote sanitation and reduce the amount of filth in communities across the country.

In addition, she said her ministry’s collaboration with Zoomlion would help the country attain the President’s vision to make Ghana clean.

"We all know that sanitation improves cleanliness and what we are witnessing today is a great example of government’s partnership with the private sector to develop the country,” she said.

She advised the public to be mindful always of their surroundings and not resort to practices that create filth with its attendant problems.

The Bono Regional Minister, Mrs Evelyn Ama Richardson, expressed her gratitude to the government for including her region in the waste treatment package for the country.

The Sunyani Dwantoa Hemaa, Nana Aboah Bohemah, was confident that the waste plant would not only help keep Sunyani clean, but also create employment for the youth.

The construction of the solid waste facility, she added, would reduce the burden on the age-old dumpsite in the municipality.

She encouraged residents of Sunyani to manage their waste instead of dumping them in a disorderly and indiscriminate manner.

“When we manage our solid waste well, we will all be helping to prevent the outbreak of diseases,” she added.

Complete project

Also present at the event was the Krontihene of Sunyani, Oboaman Bofotia Boamponsem, who represented the Paramount Chief of Sunyani, Nana Bosoma Asor Nkrawiri.

He said the land provided for the project was indicative of the chief’s unflinching support for the initiative.

He charged citizens of the Bono Region to always ensure that their surroundings were clean.

He also appealed to President Akufo-Addo to use his good offices to ensure that the plant was fully completed.

“We don't want this project to become a white elephant but rather one that we can access and receive benefits from,” he said.

Oboaman Bofotia Boamponsem encouraged the youth in Sunyani to take their education seriously.

He said when they did that it would prepare them for future jobs that would be created in Sunyani, as well as put them in good stead to contribute their quota towards the region’s development.

The Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies, Mr Joseph Siaw Agyepong, expressed his gratitude to President Akufo-Addo for offering his group and its partners the opportunity to be part of his vision to promote sanitation and development in the country.