President John Dramani Mahama has commissioned the evacuation of waste heaps from Agbogloshie in Accra to the Adepa Engineered Landfill Sites near Nsawam in the Eastern Region.
The initiative, being undertaken by the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs in collaboration with the Ghana Armed Forces and the District Road Improvement Project (DRIP), is expected to be completed within 90 days.
Funding for the exercise is being provided by the Ministry of Finance, with additional support from the District Assemblies Common Fund.
A drone-based AI estimate and assessment puts the volume of garbage to be evacuated at approximately one million tonnes.
Speaking at the commissioning, President Mahama said the exercise marked an important step in the government’s determination to restore order, improve sanitation and reclaim the area for the people who live and work there.
He said the exercise was significant for three main reasons, beginning with the deployment of Ghana’s own capacity and equipment to address the longstanding sanitation challenge.
“We are deploying heavy equipment which was secured under the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP), including tipper trucks, excavators, bulldozers, and wheel loaders to confront this longstanding national challenge,” he said.
The President said the exercise also demonstrated what could be achieved through coordinated efforts across government.
The Ministry of Finance is providing funding, while the District Assemblies Common Fund is providing additional support. The Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs is leading the exercise, with operational and engineering support from the Ghana Armed Forces, particularly the 48 Engineers Regiment.
President Mahama noted that the regiment had recently gained national acclaim for clearing the Accra-Kumasi Expressway.
“We are now mobilising them to clear Agbogloshie; after that, I have a lot of work for them. They have more tasks. Soldiers are not only going to go to war. They are going to be used for emergency operations,” he stated.
Waste removal to pave way for urban renewal
President Mahama said the exercise forms part of a broader programme to transform the area, with the immediate objective of removing what he described as a longstanding public health hazard and creating conditions for lasting improvements.
He said the clearing of the site would pave the way for the proposed Agbogloshie Urban Renewal Project.
“When we have cleared this garbage, the land that will be reclaimed and recovered is going to be an Industrial Park. We intend to establish a major textile factory here so that they can provide employment to our young people,” he said.
The President said the operation would bring an end to the open dumping and burning of waste in the area, which he said had endangered lives and damaged the surrounding environment.
He said the evacuated waste would be transported to the Adepa Engineered Landfill for controlled disposal, compaction and covering with appropriate environmental safeguards.
He stressed that every stage of the operation, including evacuation, excavation, loading, transportation and final disposal, must be managed responsibly.
“We must protect the waste, the residents, road users, and the communities along the haulage routes,” President Mahama said.
He said major haulage operations would be conducted at night in line with the government’s 24-Hour Economy Initiative.
“In the daytime, there will be some evacuation of garbage, but on a smaller scale, and then at night we go to full capacity,” he added.
READ: Agbogbloshie waste evacuation: Mahama to commission exercise today
Mahama urges residents to cooperate
Addressing residents of Old Fadama and Agbogloshie, President Mahama said the operation was being undertaken for their health, dignity and the future of their children.
He therefore urged residents to cooperate with military personnel, DRIP operators and assembly teams as the exercise gets underway.
The evacuation is expected to continue over the next 90 days, with the waste transported from Agbogloshie to the Adepa Engineered Landfill Sites for final disposal.
