President Mahama Ends Controversial Zoomlion Contract After 19 Years

Promises Better Pay for Sweepers and Competitive Sanitation Contracts

In a bold and widely praised move, President John Dramani Mahama has announced that the government will not renew the long-standing and controversial contract between the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and waste management giant, Zoomlion Ghana Limited.

This decision follows a powerful petition submitted by investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, who exposed deep-rooted corruption and mismanagement within the contract—first in 2013, and tirelessly ever since.

In a letter dated June 11, 2025, and signed by Secretary to the President, Dr. Callistus Mahama, the presidency confirmed that the 19-year-old contract has officially expired and “will not be renewed.”

Key Reforms to Follow Contract Termination

President Mahama’s letter outlined sweeping reforms in the wake of this decision:

1. End of the Zoomlion Contract: The YEA-Zoomlion deal is officially over.

2. Audit of Payments: All payments made to Zoomlion after the contract’s expiration will be thoroughly audited. Unverified or unauthorized payments will be recovered.

3. Competitive Tendering: Future sanitation contracts will be awarded through regional or district-based competitive bidding to promote transparency, innovation, and cost-efficiency.

4. Better Pay for Sweepers: With anticipated cost savings, the government will increase the wages of sanitation workers to ensure fair compensation.

5. Review of Fumigation Contracts: Contracts that have underperformed will be reviewed—and possibly terminated—on legal advice.

Decades of Monopoly and Discontent

Under the expired contract, GHS850 was allocated per sweeper. Zoomlion kept GHS600 and passed only GHS250 to the actual workers. Despite numerous complaints and an alarming lack of accountability, the contract persisted across multiple governments.

Zoomlion recently proposed raising the allocation to GHS1,308—of which they would take GHS888—leaving GHS420 for the sweepers. But YEA data suggests the company inflated its numbers. In 2018, a headcount found 38,884 active sweepers, not the 45,000 Zoomlion claimed. Yet, the state continued to pay for the higher number monthly, even amid reports that many sweepers had stopped working.

Former YEA CEO Kofi Baah Agyepong and current NPP General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong have both criticized the contract’s lack of transparency and recommended ending it.

Manasseh’s Long Battle Pays Off

Manasseh Azure Awuni, who first exposed the rot in 2013, spent over a decade campaigning against the contract, often facing resistance from powerful interests. His April 2025 petition called on President Mahama to cancel the deal and empower local assemblies to directly manage sanitation workers using the District Assemblies Common Fund.

Removing Zoomlion as the middleman, he argued, would not only save money but allow for better wages, improved supervision, and a cleaner Ghana.

President Mahama’s response, Manasseh said, is “one of the best pieces of news” in his entire journalism career. He is expected to issue a formal statement soon.