President John Dramani Mahama has said the Ghana Armed Forces will be deployed to support emergency operations beyond their traditional role in warfare.
He made the remarks while commissioning the evacuation of waste heaps from Agbogloshie in Accra to the Adepa Engineered Landfill Sites near Nsawam in the Eastern Region.
The exercise is 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).
President Mahama said the involvement of the military, particularly the 48 Engineers Regiment, demonstrates what can be achieved when different arms of government coordinate their efforts to address national challenges.
The President noted that the 48 Engineers Regiment had recently earned national acclaim for clearing the Accra-Kumasi Expressway.
He said the regiment had now been mobilised to support the clearance of the waste heaps at Agbogloshie, adding that further tasks would be assigned to the military.
“We are now mobilising them to clear Agbogloshie; after that, I have a lot of work for them. They have more tasks,” President Mahama said.
He explained that the role of the military would extend beyond conventional warfare to include emergency operations.
“Soldiers are not only going to war. They are going to be used for emergency operations,” he stated.
The President said the Agbogloshie exercise was one example of the government putting its own capacity to work, with heavy equipment secured under the District Road Improvement Programme being deployed for the operation.
The President said the Agbogloshie exercise was one example of the government putting its own capacity to work, with heavy equipment secured under the District Road Improvement Programme being deployed for the operation.
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The equipment includes tipper trucks, excavators, bulldozers and wheel loaders.
The exercise is expected to take 90 days, with a drone-based AI estimate putting the volume of garbage to be evacuated at approximately one million tonnes.
President Mahama said the broader objective was to restore order, improve sanitation and reclaim the area for the people who live and work there.
He urged residents of Old Fadama and Agbogloshie to cooperate with the military personnel, DRIP operators and assembly teams as the exercise progresses.
