Manasseh Awuni petitions President Mahama to cancel controversial YEA-Zoomlion contract
Manasseh Azure Awuni has urged the President to end the 19-year-old arrangement, which he described as exploitative and riddled with inefficiencies.
Investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni has urged petitioned President John Mahama to terminate the longstanding and controversial contract between the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and waste management company Zoomlion Ghana Limited.
In a petition to the President, Awuni urged the President to end the 19-year-old arrangement, which he described as exploitative and riddled with inefficiencies.
The journalist cited mounting evidence of financial irregularities and a lack of accountability in the partnership, which currently pays sweeping beneficiaries less than half of the funds allocated for their wages.
According to Awuni, under the most recent contract, which expired in September 2024, each sweeper was allocated GHS850 monthly. However, Zoomlion retained GHS600, leaving just GHS250 for the workers. He also said the company reportedly charged the government GHS90 million in interest last year due to delays in payment.
Zoomlion has proposed a new contract currently “under discussion” at the YEA. The revised terms would see the monthly allocation per sweeper increased to GHS1,308, with Zoomlion taking GHS888 and the sweepers receiving GHS420.
But in his petition, Awuni argues that the YEA lacks reliable data to verify the 45,000 sweepers Zoomlion claims each month. According to the investigative Journalist, a 2018 YEA headcount showed just 38,884 sweepers, and in 2022, the agency could not provide any updated figures when the Accra Metropolitan Assembly raised concerns about absenteeism among workers.
In the petition, Awuni proposed that assemblies and the YEA directly supervise the sweepers, using their share of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) to pay them. He argues that cutting out the middleman would lead to better wages, stronger supervision, and improved sanitation.
He, however, suggested that the Sanitation Improvement Package (SIP)—a separate Zoomlion contract for transporting refuse to dumping sites—be maintained for now to prevent disruptions in waste collection services.
The journalist drew parallels to his 2013 investigation into GYEEDA, which led to significant reforms under then-President Mahama, including contract cancellations, prosecutions, and the passing of the YEA Act. He expressed confidence that President Mahama would once again act decisively based on the documentary evidence he has submitted.
“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 commissioned by President Mahama made serious adverse findings against Zoomlion,” Manasseh said.
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