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Gov’t Treatment of Zoomlion Threatens Investor Confidence – UPSA Lecturer Warns
The recent decision by government to review or decentralize sanitation contracts with Zoomlion Ghana Limited could send the wrong signals to investors and disrupt the gains made in the country’s waste management sector, a senior academic has warned.
Dr. Eric Boachie Yiadom, a Senior Lecturer and Climate Finance and Sustainability Expert at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), has expressed concern over what he describes as unfair treatment of Zoomlion, a subsidiary of the Jospong Group of Companies, by state authorities.
According to him, the approach could discourage future investments in the sector.
“We need to understand the cycle of industry. An industry has been built up to a certain standard and all that we need to do is to regulate and reduce any monopoly if there is one,” Dr. Boachie Yiadom said.
According to him, “But to say that you are going to decentralize and allow those without capacity to come in, when a lot of investment has already been made is simply not fair.”
He said when Zoomlion started their operations, Ghanaians gave them the name Borla so Gyata, literally meaning lion of waste dump. “Over the years, they have built a multimillion dollar business with massive investments and if you take away the job, what are they supposed to do with the equipment and the people they have hired and trained over the years?” he quizzed?
Dr. Boachie Yiadom made these remarks during a Panel discussion at the 2025 Environmental and Sustainability Summit held at the Alisa Hotel in Accra on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
The event, organized by the Business and Financial Times (B&FT), had the theme “Ending Plastic Waste in Ghana: A Sustainable Future for All.”
The UPSA lecturer questioned the logic of weakening an industry that has taken years to develop.
He said, “You cannot just go into the waste sector without the infrastructure, the expertise, or the systems. This industry has grown beyond where it used to be. If anything, government should support and help modernize the operations of players like Zoomlion, not weaken them.”
He said just as the oil industry cannot be decentralise for all to partake, so is the waste management industry which has been developed by the Jospong Group.
He called for more coherent national strategies that support long-term sustainability plans, especially for private sector players that have shown commitment to environmental goals.
According to him, “We talk about sustainability, but are we prepared to support sustainable business models and back them with fiscal incentives? One major thing missing in the conversation is the fiscal aspect that gives tax incentives to those who promote reuse and bring in recyclable materials.”
Dr. Boachie -Yiadom concluded with a call to action: “We should be serious about the things we talk about. It’s not enough to dump the problem somewhere. We must coordinate recycling efforts and support the institutions that have gathered the expertise and built the infrastructure.
” That’s how we’ll attract more investment—not by dismantling what’s already working,” he said.
Ing. Dr. Glenn Gyimah, General Manager of the Green Transitions Office at Jospong Group, revealed that the company is currently implementing a pilot project on single-use plastics in collaboration with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
“In partnership with IRECOP and our Accra plant, we are demonstrating how single-use plastics like PET bottles can be shredded, processed into yarn, and recycled into fibers with high market value,” Dr. Gyimah said. “We’ve proven that our systems work. What we need now is commitment from government and assurance of environmental integrity,” he added.
He noted that the Jospong Group has created a multimillion-dollar enterprise with proven models that require long-term protection and strategic partnerships.
“In other countries, the private sector receives massive support from government, including funding and regulatory protection. That’s what we need here too,” he said.
Dr. Gyimah added that conversations are ongoing with both local and international off-takers to strengthen Ghana’s recycling value chain and turn waste into economic assets. “We are not just managing waste; we are creating value. And this is a capital-intensive industry that needs backing, not disruption.”
Opening the summit, Minister for Environment, Science, and Technology, Murtala Mohammed, acknowledged the urgent need to reduce plastic waste through low-impact urban practices.
He emphasized the role of circular economy models, calling for a national forum to unite polluters, producers, and policymakers to tackle the plastic menace.
According to the World Bank, Ghana generates approximately 1.1 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, but recycles only five percent of it.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) further estimates that over 250,000 tonnes of plastic waste leak into the environment each year clogging drains, polluting freshwater bodies, and contributing to severe flooding in urban centres.
A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour by the Bekwai Circuit Court for his role in a 2022 robbery at a mining site at Manso Akwasiso in the Ashanti South Region.
The convict, Dominic Ofori, also known as Fanta, was arrested on 16th February 2026 after years on the run. He pleaded guilty before the Bekwai Circuit Court to robbery contrary to Section 149 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 Act 29, and was accordingly sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour.
On March 20, 2022, the Manso Adubia District Police received intelligence that a group of armed men from Manso Abodom were planning to attack a mining site at Manso Akwasiso to rob the owner of gold concentrate. Acting on the information, police mounted a coordinated operation and laid an ambush at the site.
At about 5:30 pm the same day, four-armed men arrived at the site, fired indiscriminately, and robbed the miners of their gold concentrate. The police team on surveillance intervened, resulting in an exchange of gunfire.
Three of the suspects, Abu Abubakar, Musah Latif, and Gideon Takyi, sustained gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead on arrival at St Martins Catholic Hospital at Agroyesum. Dominic Ofori escaped at the time but was later arrested and put before the court.
The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has assured the public of its continued commitment to combating violent crimes and bringing offenders to justice.
The Ashanti Regional Police Command has arrested 45-year-old Isaac Boafo, also known as “Duabo King,” for allegedly publishing false news intended to cause fear and panic.
Police said the arrest follows a viral TikTok video in which Boafo claimed that four officers at the Central Police Station in Kumasi engaged in inappropriate conduct with commercial sex workers during night patrols in Asafo.
Officers from the Police Intelligence Directorate (Ashanti Region) apprehended Boafo after receiving intelligence about the video.
During questioning, he admitted to creating the video to attract views and engagement online, and acknowledged that he could not prove the allegations.
Boafo also admitted making comments about the President of the Republic for content purposes and could not defend those statements.
He has been formally charged and is in detention as investigations continue.
The Ashanti Regional Police have warned the public against publishing or sharing false information on social media, noting that such acts can cause fear, panic, and damage reputations.
They said anyone found engaging in similar conduct will face legal action.
By: Jacob Aggrey
