Mahama Ayariga gives MMDCEs 30-day deadline to secure land for waste transfer stations
The government has given Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) 30 days to identify and submit suitable sites for the construction of waste transfer stations as part of a planned overhaul of Ghana’s waste management system.
Ghana's government has tasked Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) with identifying suitable sites for waste transfer stations within a 30-day timeframe. This directive, announced by Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs Mahama Ayariga, aims to revamp the country's waste management system.
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly and other assemblies are required to locate at least one-acre sites for these facilities, which will be part of an integrated system encompassing waste collection, transfer, disposal and recycling.
Mr Ayariga unveiled this directive during the National Sanitation Day exercise at Rawlings Park in Accra, coinciding with World Cleanup Day 2026. The initiative aligns with President John Dramani Mahama's call for enhanced waste management practices from the household level. Under the proposed system, households will receive two waste bins to segregate organic waste from other solid waste at the source.
The government plans to replace open-bucket tricycles, colloquially known as Aboboyaa, with self-loading and self-tipping waste vehicles to facilitate more efficient refuse transportation, particularly for young individuals engaged in waste collection. MMDCEs in Greater Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi, and other regional capitals have been instructed to identify appropriate locations for transfer stations, while assemblies in major urban areas must designate land for engineered landfill facilities.
The program necessitates substantial government investment, but Ayariga argued that improved sanitation could yield broader economic and public health advantages, including cleaner communities, reduced healthcare expenses, and a more appealing environment for visitors. Accra's Mayor, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, urged traders and residents to embrace cleanliness as a daily responsibility rather than limiting it to National Sanitation Day activities.
Additionally, a Ga Mantse representative called for continued responsibility from residents and traders after organized clean-up efforts.
Written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
