Tema to have new faecal treatment plant

Sewerage Systems Ghana Limited (SSGL), a subsidiary of the Jospong Group of Companies, has secured a 76-million euros credit facility to build a faecal waste treatment plant and also expand the sewerage management system in Tema in the Greater Accra Region.

The project, which is expected to begin this year, is meant to address the challenges that improper faecal waste disposal pose to residents of Tema.

The Managing Director of SSGL, Mr Haidar Said, who made this known in Accra yesterday, said the amount was sourced from the company’s foreign partners and other export banks.

He said the company was currently consulting with the government to receive its commitment, after which the sod would be cut for work to begin on the project.

Minister’s tour

Mr Said made this known when the Senior Minister, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, paid a working visit to SSGL to have first-hand knowledge of its operations.

The SSGL operates the ‘Lavender Hill’ Faecal and the Mudor Waste Water treatment plants.

The two plants cost $80 million and jointly employ 300 people directly, with 1,000 others as indirect employees.

Mr Said and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Jospong Group of Companies, Mr Joseph Siaw Agyapong, conducted the minister round the facility.

Tema project

Regarding the Tema sewage project, Mr Said explained that the faecal treatment plant would be constructed from scratch, while obsolete sewage systems in Tema would be rehabilitated and expanded.

"The Tema sewage system was built in the 1960s for 20,000 residents. However, with the population now standing about 200,000, there is the need to rehabilitate and expand it to meet the current capacity of residents," he said.

He said the company’s focus was on establishing waste treatment plants in major regional capitals in the country.

He said the SSGL would inaugurate the Kumasi sewage system by November this year, while efforts were being made to replicate the Kumasi sewage system in Takoradi and Tamale.

"When all these plants are established, 1,500 direct jobs will be created," he said.

Government support

While commending the Jospong Group for its lead role in waste management, Mr Osafo-Maafo urged it to keep on deploying innovative waste management technologies in the country.

He assured SSGL that the government would provide it with the necessary support to boost its operational capacity and improve its waste management systems.

He said since the Jospong Group was providing a service that would help the government meet its ambition of making the country clean, the company would be assisted with the needed resources to enable it to operate effectively.

“I want to assure you that the government will provide the necessary financial support to ensure that this company is viable and comfortable. We want you to replicate the waste management systems in Kumasi, Tamale, Takoradi and other regional capitals,” he said.