The Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs at Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Emma Adwoa Appiaah Osei-Duah, has expressed the company’s appreciation to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Sanitation and Water Resources for what she described as a fair and objective oversight exercise in the Central Region.
Speaking to journalists at Komenda following the committee’s engagements with Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), Ms. Osei-Duah said the exercise had brought to light the extensive sanitation interventions undertaken by Zoomlion across various assemblies over the years.
According to her, the committee’s fact-finding mission had provided Parliament with firsthand insight into the company’s contributions to waste management and environmental sanitation in the region.
“We are very happy about the work of the committee because it has exposed to Parliament the good work Zoomlion has done in the various MMDAs over the years,” she stated.
She acknowledged that a few operational gaps were identified during the engagements but assured that management was already taking steps to address them comprehensively.
Ms. Osei-Duah further commended the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Sanitation and Water Resources, John Oti Bless, for what she described as his honesty and fairness throughout the exercise.
She also expressed gratitude to the committee for recognising Zoomlion’s Integrated Recycling and Compost Plant (IRECOP) model as an innovative and practical solution to Africa’s waste management challenges.
She noted that the IRECOP initiative remains one of the most promising indigenous approaches to advancing the waste revolution agenda across the sub-region.
The Central Regional Manager of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Ernest Osei, also praised Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, Environmental Health Officers and Coordinating Directors for their continued collaboration with the company in improving sanitation delivery.
He reaffirmed Zoomlion’s commitment to providing the necessary resources to address sanitation challenges in line with contractual obligations.
Mr. Osei urged assembly authorities to promptly engage the company whenever sanitation concerns arise within their jurisdictions.
“We will continue to provide the needed resources to tackle waste challenges, and we encourage assemblies not to hesitate in drawing our attention to any pending sanitation issue,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Regional Vector Control Manager of Zoomlion, Dr. Gideon Sogbey, used the occasion to clarify misconceptions surrounding sanitation terminology, particularly the distinctions between fumigation, disinfection and disinfestation.
Addressing concerns raised by members of the committee regarding contractual references to fumigation, Dr. Sogbey explained that sanitation interventions are determined by the specific conditions on the ground and the needs identified by assemblies.
He noted that assemblies typically request services based on prevailing public health concerns, after which Zoomlion determines the most appropriate intervention and chemical application.
“Fumigation is usually carried out in enclosed spaces and not in open areas,” Dr. Sogbey explained.
He added that in places such as markets, lorry stations and areas with stagnant water, assemblies often request disinfection, disinfestation or deratting services based on the nature of the sanitation challenge.
“With respect to fumigation, one cannot carry it out in open spaces. Assemblies understand these realities and request the appropriate services needed to address specific sanitation concerns,” he said.
The Parliamentary Select Committee’s tour of the Central Region forms part of its broader mandate to assess sanitation service delivery across the country and strengthen accountability within the sector.
