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The Government of Ghana has officially ended its long-standing contract with Zoomlion Ghana Limited, a partnership that spanned over 19 years and was managed through the Youth Employment Agency (YEA). The decision, formalized in a letter dated June 11, 2025, marks a significant shift in the country’s sanitation management strategy.

The termination was communicated by the Office of the President in a letter addressed to investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, who has consistently raised concerns about corruption and inefficiencies related to the contract. The letter, signed by Secretary to the President Dr. Callistus Mahama, confirmed:

“His Excellency the President acknowledges the serious concerns raised in your letter and responds as follows:

1. Expiration of Contract: The contract between the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and Zoomlion Ghana Limited (Zoomlion) has expired and will not be renewed.”

This decision follows a comprehensive 12-year investigation by Awuni, which began in 2013 and uncovered numerous irregularities. Chief among these was a discrepancy in the payment system for sanitation workers. While the contract allocated GHS 850 per sweeper, only GHS 250 reportedly reached the workers, with Zoomlion allegedly retaining the remaining GHS 600.

Other critical issues highlighted in the investigation include:

• Monopoly concerns: Zoomlion’s extensive control over public sanitation contracts.
• Interest charges: The company reportedly imposed interest fees on delayed payments from YEA, resulting in an accumulated charge of GHS 90 million by 2024.
• Workforce verification discrepancies: A 2018 YEA report identified only 38,884 active sweepers, in contrast to Zoomlion’s claim of 45,000.

Kofi Baah Agyepong, the former Chief Executive Officer of the YEA, also advocated for the contract's termination, arguing that the agency has the capacity to manage the sanitation workforce independently.

According to the Office of the President, the termination aligns with broader government reforms aimed at improving fiscal responsibility and ensuring fair compensation for frontline sanitation workers. Moving forward, the government intends to increase direct payments to sweepers, thereby eliminating intermediary costs and improving efficiency.

This development is being lauded by governance advocates as a progressive step toward enhanced transparency and accountability in public sector procurement and service delivery.

Source: theghanareport