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Manasseh petitions President Mahama over YEA- Zoomlion contract
Ace investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni has petitioned President Mahama over the Youth Employment Agency and Zoomlion contract.
According to him, under the last contract that expired in September 2024, GHS850 was allocated to each sweeper. Zoomlion keeps GHS600 and pays the sweepers GHS250 a month, according to the contract.
He added that Zoomlion also charges interest if the YEA delays in paying the company for three months. In 2024, Zoomlion charged an interest of GHS90 million.
Read the full petition below
Earlier this week, I formally petitioned the President of the Republic, John Dramani Mahama, to discontinue the 19-year-old contract between the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and Zoomlion Ghana Limited.
Under the last contract that expired in September 2024, GHS850 was allocated to each sweeper. Zoomlion keeps GHS600 and pays the sweepers GHS250 a month, according to the contract.
Zoomlion also charges interest if the YEA delays in paying the company for three months. In 2024, Zoomlion charged an interest of GHS90 million.
Yesterday, Zoomlion revealed that its latest proposal is “under discussion” at the YEA. In this proposal, Zoomlion wants the allocation per sweeper to be raised to GHS1,308, so that Zoomlion would take GHS888 and give the sweepers GHS420 a month.
The YEA has no data to verify the 45,000 sweepers Zoomlion presents for payment every month, even after raising an alarm in 2018. The YEA said its headcount showed that 38,884 sweepers were on the ground, contrary to Zoomlion’s claim of 45,000. The YEA CEO, Justin Kodua Frimpong (the current NPP General Secretary), said Zoomlion failed to submit its payroll for verification when the YEA requested.
In 2022, the YEA could not provide any data when the Accra Metropolitan Assembly complained in a letter that most sweepers had stopped working. Meanwhile, Zoomlion continued to bill the state for 45,000 people every month.
The immediate past CEO of the YEA, Kofi Baah Agyepong, told the YEA board that the contract with Zoomlion should be cancelled, as the YEA was capable of running the sweepers’ module without a third-party company, just as it runs other modules. In all the modules, the YEA pays all its beneficiaries more than the sweepers, whose payment is routed through Zoomlion.
I have proposed to the President that the contract be discontinued so that the assemblies and the YEA can supervise the sweepers. In this way, the assemblies can have direct control of the sweepers, who are paid with the assemblies’ share of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF).
If Zoomlion is eliminated as the middleman, the sweepers will enjoy better wages and be motivated to show up and work to keep the nation clean.
Zoomlion has a separate contract that charges all the assemblies to lift the refuse collected by the YEA sweepers to the dumping sites. This contract, the Sanitation Improvement Package (SIP), requires waste trucks, which some assemblies do not have because a chunk of their budget is deducted to pay Zoomlion.
I have proposed to the President that the assemblies could maintain the SIP contract with Zoomlion, since its immediate termination could cause sanitation challenges.
When I investigated GYEEDA (now YEA) in 2013, President Mahama took drastic actions, including terminating contracts, passing the YEA Act, prosecuting and jailing two persons, and retrieving funds.
With the documentary evidence I submitted with the petition, I am confident that the President will terminate the Zoomlion contract, which is the only YEA contract that was not cancelled after my 2013 investigations, even though the GYEEDA report President Mahama commissioned made serious adverse findings against Zoomlion.
I wish to thank all who have supported and continue to support me in this campaign to stop the massive corruption associated with the YEA-Zoomlion contract and bring justice to the poor sweepers.
We hope President Mahama will not fail us, the sweepers, and our dear nation.
Singed.
Manasseh Azure Awuni
(Investigative Journalist)
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Speaker of Parliament inaugurates open Parliament Steering Committee, launches action plan
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has launched the Open Parliament Steering Committee and the Open Parliament Action Plan.
The ceremony was under the theme “Achieving Gender Equality: Action by Action.”
The Speaker highlighted the critical role Parliament plays in translating the will of the people into inclusive legislation, responsive policies, and accountable governance.
“The International Day of Parliamentarianism is worth celebrating, as it offers an opportunity not only to recognise and promote achievements in strengthening democratic governance, but also to pause and reflect on the remaining gaps in institutionalising parliamentary democracy,” he said.
He noted that the event was scheduled to coincide with the International Day of Parliamentarianism to reinforce the importance of open and inclusive governance.
The Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, stated that the International Day of Parliamentarianism is intended to recognise the vital role Parliaments play globally as pillars of democratic governance.
He noted that this marks the first time Ghana is formally observing the day.
“The gravity of our observance is further accentuated as we convene to witness the launch of the Open Parliament Action Plan by the Open Government Partnership Caucus,” he said.
Delivering a statement on behalf of the Minority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, the Deputy Minority Leader, Patricia Appiagyei, described the Open Parliament Action Plan as a transformative initiative aimed at strengthening the relationship between Parliament and the public.
She said the plan represents a bold commitment to making Parliament more transparent, accessible, and responsive to the needs of Ghanaians.
The Clerk to Parliament, Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, described the launch as a key milestone in the effort to build a citizen-focused and accountable Parliament.
He added that the International Day of Parliamentarianism is a call to action to recommit to the highest standards of public service and democratic accountability.
The inauguration was attended by a wide range of stakeholders, including the Majority and Minority Members of Parliament, members of the Open Parliament Steering Committee, the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Caucus, Parliamentary Network Africa, representatives from civil society organisations, members of the diplomatic corps, traditional and religious leaders, student bodies, the Parliamentary Press Corps, and other media partners.
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NACOC declares drug menace a national emergency
The Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Interior has paid a working visit to the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) to engage with its leadership and assess operational challenges hampering the fight against illicit drugs.
In a detailed presentation, Dr. Basha Ligbi, Head of the Commission’s Research Bureau, highlighted critical setbacks including broken body scanners at airport terminals, inadequate office infrastructure, overcrowded detention facilities, and deteriorating vehicles.
He also called for the Commission’s headquarters to be reclassified as a security zone, citing growing security risks due to private encroachment and nearby high-rise developments.
Director General of NACOC, Brigadier General Maxwell Obiba Mantey, described the escalating drug trade as a national emergency, warning that drug barons now rival armed robbers in threat level and are gaining influence at the highest levels.
He appealed for stronger institutional support and morale-boosting interventions to preserve the integrity of NACOC officers.
Chairman of the Committee and MP for Builsa North, James Agalga, assured the Commission of the Committee’s commitment to escalate the concerns to Parliament and engage key justice sector stakeholders to fast-track reforms in support of NACOC’s mandate.
