President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has cut the sod for the construction of a solid waste treatment facility at Fiaso in the Techiman South Municipal of the Bono East Region. The sod-cutting ceremony, which came off Wednesday (September 9, 2020), was graced by the Ministers of Bono East Region, Kofi Amoakohene, Sanitation and Water Resources, Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Executive Chairman of Jospong Group of Companies (JGC), Dr Joseph Siaw-Agyepong, Paramount Chief of Techiman, Oseadeyo Ekumfi-Ameyaw IV, and the Queen mother of Fiaso, Ohemaa Mariama. It formed part of the President’s two-day tour in the Bono East Region. The 15-million Euro project, which is expected to be completed within four months, is under a partnership between Zoomlion Ghana Limited (ZGL) and its private sector partners and the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources (MSWR). When completed, the plant will have facilities including plastic waste recycling, finished products and spare parts, compost workshop, sorting workshop and an office building. The rest are restaurant, weighing bridge, recycling plant, washing bay, skills training scavengers, clinic and a laboratory. Speaking at the ceremony, the Executive Chairman of JGC, who also doubles as the CEO of ZGL, Dr Joseph Siaw-Agyepong, revealed that the plant will create 75 and 250 direct and indirect jobs respectively. “…with the President performing the sod-cutting ceremony, we are starting the construction immediately. All the machines are ready to facilitate the project,” he said. He thanked the chiefs and people of Techiman and Fiaso for making available a 100-acre land for his company to construct the plant on. According to him, eight (8) districts in the region will bring their solid waste to the facility. These districts, he said, include Techiman Municipal, Techiman North and South, Nkoranza North and South, Kintampo South and North, and Wenchi. “This solid waste facility has the capacity to do sorting, process waste into fertilisers, plastics among others,” he said. Dr Siaw-Agyepong indicated that what was driving his company to construct waste treatment facilities across the country was the President’s vision to make Accra the cleanest city in Africa, and by extension the whole country. In this vein, he commended the President for setting up a sanitation ministry to take care of the country’s sanitation needs. He further used the opportunity to congratulate the President for his appointment as the ECOWAS Chairman. For her part, the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah, entreated the citizens in the region to refrain from practices such as open defecation and indiscriminate dumping of refuse, especially into the drains. She gave a firm assurance that her ministry was in support of Zoomlion’s initiative to construct waste treatment facilities in all the 16 regions. She encouraged other private waste companies to come on board and support the government in addressing the sanitation challenges in the country. According to Madam Dapaah, a similar project would be commissioned on Sunday (September 13, 2020) in Goaso in the Ahafo Region.
