Zoomlion receives commendation at 7th World Urban Forum
Participants in the just-ended United Nations (UN) Habitat seventh World Urban Forum (WUF7) in Medellin, Colombia, have commended Zoomlion Ghana, a waste and sanitation management company in Ghana for its work.
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Chief Evaluation Officer of UN-Habitat, Mr Matin Barugahare, was particularly pleased with Zoomlion’s innovative initiative in waste and sanitation management in Ghana and other African countries.
Zoomlion products and services captured in brochures, banners, and other souvenirs which were displayed at Ghana’s Platform, a side event, became the main attraction at WUF7 as country representatives, individuals, companies and non-governmental organisations visited the company’s stand.
The Zoomlion stand also became news attraction for both Colombian and other international journalists covering the WUF7 as they constantly visited the Ghana booth to interact with the company’s representatives.
The company’s presence in the Ghana booth at the exhibition centre offered a great opportunity to showcase its works, achievements and contributions to Ghana’s urban development processes.
Zoomlion representation
In an interview with Ghana News Agency at the event, Dr Offei Bob Manteaw, the Director of Research, Innovation and Development, said Zoomlion had shared its innovative programmes such as afforestation, street cleaning, ecobrigade, Zoil and the provision of free waste bins to communities and households with other participants.
Dr Manteaw noted that Zoomlion’s most significant contribution at this year’s forum was its boldness in drawing the attention of the organisers of the event to the fact that sanitation and waste management was left out in the broader discussions of urbanisation and urban development.
Missing gap in programme
He said the missing gap in the WUF7 programme, which mainly focused on urban development from a housing equity perspective, was that it failed to take into account the consequences of urban development.
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According to Dr Manteaw, Zoomlion and the Africa Institute of Sanitation and Waste Management (AISWAM), a tertiary institution reminded the world that urban development policies should begin with thoughts about how to deal with urban waste and sanitation.
Dr Manteaw said the company had been classified as a contemporary international organisation with foresight, vision and capability to influence up-to-date thinking and practice in waste and sanitation management in all sectors.
The Communications Manager of Zoomlion, Mr Robert Tetteh Coleman, told the GNA that as an indigenous Ghanaian company, Zoomlion was committed to becoming the champion of a cleaner, greener and healthy environment across Africa.
He expressed Zoomlion’s appreciation for the commendations and recognition received on such a global stage,and added that the organisation was humbled by the international applauses.
Mr Coleman said waste and sanitation management, as espoused by Zoomlion, was more of a social investment that put public health, social welfare and the efficient management of the natural environment before profit.
Mr Coleman noted that the newly created AISWAM, with state-of-the-art facilities, was launched to address issues of skills development and gaps in waste and sanitation management in Ghana.
He said the institute was a non-profit establishment and a social investment that would serve the interest of Africa in many meaningful ways and also as Zoomlion’s legacy to Ghana and Africa.
Themes of the event
The Ghana side event was on the theme: “Ghana Rising: leveraging, Urbanisation, Inclusive and Equitable Development” while the WUF7 was on the theme ¨Urban Equity in Development – Cities for Life,” and it focused on seeking ways to strengthen and develop institutional framework for sustainable urban development and housing.
It also looked at progress in understanding the role of local governments in drafting proposals and policies for urban development.
WUF7 serves as a platform to determine the guidelines for Habitat III, the Third United Nations Conference on Housing, and Sustainable Urban Development, scheduled for 2016 which will focus on Climate Change, Protection and Public Safety. — GNA