News
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.
Mr. Alfred Nii Kotey Ashie, the Member of Parliament for the Odododiodioo Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, has assured the Accra Street Academy of his support in achieving its mission of uplifting vulnerable children within the community to break the cycle of poverty. “Without the needed support, your efforts may go round in circles due to the enormity of the task. This should not be left on the shoulders of the Academy alone. You need support from both government and the private sector. With that, the Academy would be in a good position to shape the future of these children on the streets,” he said.
The Accra Street Academy, originally formed in 1985 as a boxing arena, now serves as a school for deprived children, with most of its population numbering hundreds of pupils being neglected children from the streets of Jamestown and its environs. Mr. Alfred Nii Kotey Ashie made these remarks at the annual stakeholders’ meeting and fundraising event held over the weekend under the theme “Empowering Street Children: Health and Wellness.” The event is one of the Academy’s annual programmes, organized to raise funds and other forms of support to aid the school in catering to the needs of the children and holding its Christmas get-together.
According to the MP, it is worth noting that these children are taught and provided with two meals and a snack daily through the support of benevolent members of society. In view of this, he promised to facilitate the acquisition of documents needed for the construction of an Astroturf within the school’s premises. He noted that “every child has the right to play, and therefore I pledged to do my best to secure the needed documents” for the project to commence.
The legislator disclosed that over the years, the academic programmes of the Accra Street Academy have transformed children surviving on the streets into successful adults. He therefore urged other members of society to partner with the school to “help pupils rise higher for a better Ghana.” In the 2025/26 academic year, 22 pupils were absorbed by the Accra Metro Education Directorate as they transitioned into various Junior High Schools, while still returning to the Accra Street Academy for academic support.
Ms. Yvonne Abba-Opoku, a chartered governance advisor and senior executive in the nonprofit and charity sector, stated that the best gift to give a child was education.
By Spectator Reporter
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
Mrs Regina Kudom, Senior Midwifery Officer at the New Atuabo Health Centre in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality, has urged expectant mothers to attend antenatal clinic regularly for safe delivery.
She revealed that “in Tarkwa and its environs many pregnant women prefer staying at prayer camps, we are not against that, you can be there, but when your time is up for your antenatal session make sure you attend.”
Mrs Kudom gave the advice when the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation (GFGF) observed the World Prematurity Day with pregnant women at New Atuabo, Huniso and Awudua health centres.
World Prematurity Day falls on November 17, every year, and it is celebrated to raise awareness about the challenges faced by pre-term babies and their families.
She said research suggested that sex during pregnancy could soften the cervix and potentially aid in labour preparation.
“That is the reason why we encourage pregnant women to have sex with their partners, if they do not have any health implications,” she added.
Mrs Kudom appealed to the GFGF to upgrade the New Atuabo health centre as the current structure was too small because they received many patients daily.
Madam Ayishetu Mohammed, Project Coordinator for GFGF, explained that they received donations from Project C. U. R. E and the items were given to health facilities in their operational area.
She stated that they noticed there were baby dresses, sanitary pads, and baby apparel, so they decided to distribute them among expectant mothers in three of their host communities.
Madam Mohammed said because the foundation was interested in preventive care, they brought a midwife from the Tarkwa Mine hospital to educate the pregnant women.
She extolled the midwives in New Atuabo health centre for the education they gave to the pregnant women and implored them to heed to the advice given during antenatal visits to reduce maternal deaths in the Tarkwa Nsuaem and Prestea Huni-Valley Municipalities.
Mr Paa Kwasi Egan, Deputy Chief Physician Assistance, emphasised that a pregnant woman being anemic meant she was not eating a balance diet, and added that, “Some of these women do not have money to buy food or visit antenatal clinics.”
He said when men follow their wives for antenatal visits, they would be educated extensively on why they should provide funds for their pregnant wives.
Mr Egan, therefore, encouraged all men to be involved in their pregnant wives’ antenatal care appointments so they could learn more about pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting. – GNA
